Data collection methods and statistical analyses

This chapter highlights the questions to ask of data collection methods and statistical analyses before you plunge into their use. It discusses data collection methods within the context of study design, focussing on the resolution and size (in area or time) that methods collect over. The methods covered are those that help explain patterns and processes produced by plants and animals interacting with the sediment and the water column. Similarly, statistical analyses that increase the interpretation of data and allow understanding of interacting processes are highlighted. The need to balance information, replication and costs associated with statistical power is also discussed. As this chapter provides a brief overview only on subjects that have been the subjects of entire books, it also contains references to more extensive coverage.