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Application of the simple saddlepoint approximation to estimate probability distributions in wildlife research
Author(s) -
Demaso Stephen J.,
Hernández Fidel,
Brennan Leonard A.,
Bingham Ralph L.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.1002/jwmg.80
Subject(s) - skewness , simple (philosophy) , mathematics , probability density function , variance (accounting) , selection (genetic algorithm) , measure (data warehouse) , set (abstract data type) , probability distribution , wildlife , statistics , computer science , ecology , data mining , philosophy , accounting , epistemology , artificial intelligence , biology , business , programming language
The simple saddlepoint approximation (SSA) uses the mean, variance, and skewness (a measure of the asymmetry of the distribution) of a data set to algebraically approximate the probability density function of a selected variable. We compared habitat‐suitability bounds estimated with SSAs and continuous selection functions. Habitat‐suitability bounds for bobwhite nesting based on the SSA method were biologically comparable to the results of the method based on continuous selection functions. The SSA approach allows habitat‐suitability bounds to be estimated using algebra and can be calculated in computer spreadsheets. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.