Data are currently being used, and reused, in ecological research at an unprecedented rate.
To ensure appropriate reuse however, we need to ask the question:“Are aggregated …

A robust scientific conclusion is the result of a rigorous scientific process. In observational
ecology, this process involves making inferences about a population from a sample. The …

A goal of environmental monitoring is to provide sound information on the status and trends
of natural resources (Messer et al. 1991, Theobald et al. 2007, Fancy et al. 2009). When …

Wildlife biologists often use grid-based designs to sample animals and generate abundance
estimates. Although sampling in grids is theoretically sound, in application, the method can …

Summary 1 Methods papers play a crucial role in advancing applied ecology. Counting
organisms, in particular, has a rich history of methods development with many key advances …

Conventional distance sampling approaches rely on the design assumption (ie uniform
distribution of individuals in relation to transects) to ensure unbiased inference to the …

Empirical studies of patterns in biodiversity and other ecological phenomena require field
measurements. While finding a method of measurement at a predetermined site can be …

The choice of sample size is a fundamental decision in planning an environmental survey.
Dale et al.(Ecol. Modelling, 57: 1–10) developed a model for sampling field plots and …

Direct observation, through surveys, underpins nearly all aspects of environmental sciences.
Survey design theory has evolved to make sure that sampling is as efficient as possible …

In ecological field surveys, observations are gathered at different spatial locations. The
purpose may be to relate biological response variables (eg, species abundances) to …