Comparison of Some Statistical Techniques for Analysis of Resource Selection

Abstract

Many biologists and statisticians still have questions about analysis of resource selection data. Consequently, we compared 4 statistical methods for analysis of habitat selection by considering hypotheses, assumptions, and methods of calculation. We used detailed calculations on gray partridge (Perdix perdix) habitat-use data to note factors that may cause the methods to give disparate results. The factors we identified where the emphasis or relative weight placed on within- versus between-animal observations, independence and variability assumptions, and the relationship between the statistical hypothesis and the biological hypothesis