Universität Wien
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300205 VU Analysis of Ecological Data - univariate methods (2025W)

5.00 ECTS (3.00 SWS), SPL 30 - Biologie
Continuous assessment of course work

This course belongs in module MNB2 to subject area Data Analysis and Modelling.
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 40 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

If possible, bring your own laptop as you will also perform the exam on your own laptop. There is a limited set of computers available for the practical but not for the exam.

  • Tuesday 07.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 14.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 14.10. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 21.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 21.10. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 28.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 28.10. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 04.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 04.11. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 11.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 11.11. 16:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Wednesday 12.11. 16:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 18.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 18.11. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 25.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 25.11. 15:00 - 19:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 02.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 02.12. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 09.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 09.12. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 16.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 16.12. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 13.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 13.01. 15:00 - 19:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 20.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 20.01. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 27.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 27.01. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 17.02. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG
  • Tuesday 10.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal (Fakultätszentrum für Biodiversität) Rennweg EG

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The lecture will present an overview (theoretical background, applications) on important tools of data analysis in contemporary ecological research. Special attention will be paid to the harmonisation of research questions, experimental design and analytical methods with respect to own research tasks like diploma theses or dissertations.

Central topics: General aspects of designing ecological studies - Establishing hypotheses and deriving predictions, statistical tests, experimental design, power analysis; Analysis of variance (ANOVA); Regression analysis and its derivates (GLM, GAM, PGLS, Classification Trees); Analysis of structured data and time series (Mixed Models).

The course is divided in a lecture and practical part. The lecture will take place on Tuesdays 9:45am - 11:15am in the lecture hall at Rennweg.
For the practical , participants will get divided into 2 groups and the practicals will take place on Tuesdays 2pm - 4pm or Tuesday4pm - 6pm.

Assessment and permitted materials

- Presence in the course (not more than two absences)
- One homework
- Written exam (no aids)
- Practical exam (open book)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

- The course requires regular presence (max. 2 absences)
- You will get a homework over the winter break that needs to be handed in (the homework will decide the grade if the student is between grades in the evaluation of the exams)
- There will be a written theoretical exam (multiple choice style) at the end of the course. The test will be graded and contribute to 50% of the grade. No aids are allowed to use in that exam.
- There will be a practical exam, solving an analysis-example by means of R-scripts. The practical exam will contribute to 50% of the grade.

Additional info
- You will have to solve the exam using your own laptop. Your solutions have to be provided as R-scripts with comments explaining the individual analysis-steps. They will be evaluated based on whether the scripts deliver the appropriate analyses and whether the comments show that you understood the motivation and aims of the individual steps and that you can correctly interpret their results.

- Both exams have to be evaluated positively and there is a chance to retake either exam once.

Examination topics

Everything that is taught during the lecture part and within the practicals.

Reading list

Useful literature (not required to be read before course)
Peter Zöfel: Statistik in der Praxis. UTB 1293.
G.P. Quinn & M.J. Keough: Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists. Cambridge University Press.
Samuel M. Scheiner & Jessica Gurevitch: Design and Analysis of Ecological Experiments. Oxford University Press.
Anthony J. Underwood: Experiments in Ecology. Cambridge University Press.
Derek A. Roff: Computer-intensive methods of data analysis in biology. Cambridge University Press.
Frank E. Harrell: Regression Modeling Strategies. Springer.
Maindonald & Braun (2010) -Data Analysis and Graphics using R. Cambridge University Press.
Garamszegi (2014) Modern Phylogenetic Comparative Methods and Their Application in Evolutionary Biology. Springer.
Zuur (2009) Mixed Effects Models and Extensions in Ecology with R. Springer.
Crawley (2007) The R Book. Wiley.

Association in the course directory

MEC-5, MNB2

Last modified: Mo 27.07.2026 09:27