Re-analysis of a salp population time-series
Published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2010
Weekly abundances of 2 salp populations (Salpa fusiformis and Thalia democratica) were determined for the period from 1967 to 1990 at a coastal station in the Western Mediterranean using a discrete abundance scale. A previous analysis modeled these data as a Markov chain with ordered states and found a significant effect of stratification on the Markov transition probabilities. An alternative analysis combining an underlying population model and a model of the observation process found qualitatively similar results, with population growth rate significantly related to stratification. However, by explicitly separating the population model from the observation model, the alternative approach has advantages including a closer connection to the underlying biology and the capability to predict salp abundance.
Recommended citation: Sutherland, K. R., Beet, A. R., & Solow, A. R. (2010). Marine Ecology Progress Series " 418:147-150.".
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