Meta-analysis in applied ecology |
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Authors: | Gavin Stewart |
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Institution: | Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK |
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Abstract: | This overview examines research synthesis in applied ecology and conservation. Vote counting and pooling unweighted averages are widespread despite the superiority of syntheses based on weighted combination of effects. Such analyses allow exploration of methodological uncertainty in addition to consistency of effects across species, space and time, but exploring heterogeneity remains controversial. Meta-analyses are required to generalize in ecology, and to inform evidence-based decision-making, but the more sophisticated statistical techniques and registers of research used in other disciplines must be employed in ecology to fully realize their benefits. |
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Keywords: | evidence synthesis effect size Bayesian uncertainty decision analysis bias |
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