Profiting from prior information in Bayesian analyses of ecological data

Abstract

1. Most ecological studies include prior information only implicitly, usually in their design or the discussion of results. In this study, two examples demonstrate that using Bayesian statistics to incorporate basic ecological principles and prior data can be very cost-effective for increasing confidence in ecological research. 2. The first example is based on examining the effects of an experimental manipulation of the habitat of mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda, a marsupial of inland Australia. The second example is based on observational mark-recapture data to estimate the annual survival of the European dipper Cinclus cinclus, a passerine in France. 3. In the mulgara example, the prior inf..