On Sample Size, Statistical Power, and the Detection of Density Dependence
- 1 October 1990
- journal article
- research article
- Published by JSTOR in Journal of Animal Ecology
- Vol. 59 (3) , 1073-1076
- https://doi.org/10.2307/5032
Abstract
(1) In reviewing the results of Stiling (1988) on the detection of density dependence in insect populations, Hassell, Latto and May (1989) observed that density dependence is more commonly detected in large samples. We interpret this observation in terms of the statistical power of the test used to detect density dependence. (2) Using simple models, we show that even for moderately strong density dependence, it is necessary to observe up to thirty generations before density independence can be rejected with high probability.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
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- Density-Dependent Processes and Key Factors in Insect PopulationsJournal of Animal Ecology, 1988
- The Detection of Density‐Dependence from a Series of Annual CensusesEcology, 1987
- A test of statistical techniques for detecting density dependence in sequential censuses of animal populationsOecologia, 1987