Common structure in panels of short ecological time-series

Proc Biol Sci. 2000 Dec 7;267(1460):2459-67. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2000.1306.

Abstract

Typically, in many studies in ecology, epidemiology, biomedicine and others, we are confronted with panels of short time-series of which we are interested in obtaining a biologically meaningful grouping. Here, we propose a bootstrap approach to test whether the regression functions or the variances of the error terms in a family of stochastic regression models are the same. Our general setting includes panels of time-series models as a special case. We rigorously justify the use of the test by investigating its asymptotic properties, both theoretically and through simulations. The latter confirm that for finite sample size, bootstrap provides a better approximation than classical asymptotic theory. We then apply the proposed tests to the mink-muskrat data across 81 trapping regions in Canada. Ecologically interpretable groupings are obtained, which serve as a necessary first step before a fuller biological and statistical analysis of the food chain interaction.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arvicolinae / physiology
  • Canada
  • Ecology*
  • Ecosystem
  • Mink / physiology
  • Models, Biological
  • Models, Statistical
  • Predatory Behavior
  • Regression Analysis
  • Time Factors