The New Statistics with R: An Introduction for Biologists

Statistical methods are a key tool for all scientists working with data, but learning the basics continues to challenge successive generations of students. This accessible textbook provides an up-to-date introduction to the classical techniques and modern extensions of linear model analysis-one of the most useful approaches for investigating scientific data in the life and environmental sciences. While some of the foundational analyses (e.g. t tests, regression, ANOVA) are as useful now as ever, best practice moves on and there are many new general developments that offer great potential. The book emphasizes an estimation-based approach that takes account of recent criticisms of over-use of probability values and introduces the alternative approach that uses information criteria. This new edition includes the latest advances in R and related software and has been thoroughly “road-tested” over the last decade to create a proven textbook that teaches linear and generalized linear model analysis to students of ecology, evolution, and environmental studies (including worked analyses of data sets relevant to all three disciplines). While R is used throughout, the focus remains firmly on statistical analysis. The New Statistics with R is suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate students, professional researchers, and practitioners in the fields of ecology, evolution and environmental studies.