Paperback, Waveland Press
This accessible, complete introduction to the use of statistics in the biological sciences emphasizes the relationships among probability, probability distributions, and hypothesis testing. There are examples throughout the text taken from many areas in the life sciences, including genetics, physiology, ecology, agriculture, and medicine. The authors highlight the expected value of various test statistics under the null and research hypotheses as a way to understand the methodology of hypothesis testing. In addition, they incorporate nonparametric alternatives to many situations along with the usual parametric analysis. Key features include: 1) each chapter includes a broad set of problems with varying degrees of difficulty, selected answers are located in the back of the book; 2) interesting and easily understood examples are included with each concept; and 3) end-of-chapter problems are randomized within each chapter, requiring students to choose the appropriate analysis and helping them to develop critical decision-making skills.