Integrating multiple data types to connect ecological theory and data among levels

Abstract

Ecological theories often encompass multiple levels of biological organization, such as genes, individuals, populations, and communities. Despite substantial progress toward ecological theory spanning multiple levels, ecological data rarely are connected in this way. This is unfortunate because different types of ecological data often emerge from the same underlying processes and, therefore, are naturally connected among levels. Here, we describe an approach to integrate data collected at multiple levels (e.g., individuals, populations) in a single statistical analysis. The resulting integrated models make full use of existing data and might strengthen links between statistical ecology and e..