structural equation modeling
Statistical approach allowing estimation of directional relationships among variables and comparison of direct versus indirect effects
linear mixed effects model
Statistical model accounting for both fixed and random effects to analyze hierarchical or repeated measures data
avalanche dynamics modeling
Computational simulation of avalanche flow physics to predict runout distance and impact parameters
individual-based model
Computational model that simulates individual organisms and their life histories to understand population-level patterns
principal component analysis
Statistical method used to identify the structuring factors driving life-history variation and to detect slow-fast continuum patterns
Long Short-Term Memory
Type of recurrent neural network capable of learning temporal dependencies in sequential data through gated memory cells
biophysical models
Tools implemented to accurately predict an organism's physiological response to attributes of interest such as water loss and body temperature
Bayesian clustering
Statistical method for assigning individuals to groups based on genetic similarity
Complex Refractive Index Method
Method relating electromagnetic wave speed in snowpack to dry snow density using known wave speeds of constituent materials
Cox proportional hazard model
Semi-parametric survival analysis that allows mortality hazard to fluctuate with time while measuring effects of covariates on survival probability
Gaussian mixture model
A clustering approach that assumes feature space is a product of a finite number of Gaussian components, each representing distinct co-varied features in multivariable space
Lomax distribution
Probability distribution used to model distance-decay patterns in pollen dispersal
approximate Bayesian computation
A computational method for model fitting that contrasts the influence of different mechanisms by simulating data under different parameter sets
broken-stick model
Statistical model used to determine the number of principal components to retain, setting threshold above which a component explains more variation than expected by chance alone
convolutional neural networks
Deep learning architecture using convolutional layers for image classification and segmentation tasks
empirical models
Statistical models fitted to observational data to predict patterns and test hypotheses
exponential decline function
Mathematical function Y = A·e^(-β·d) where Y is root mass, A is root mass at soil surface, d is soil depth, and β defines steepness of decline
exponential decline model
Mathematical model describing how pollen deposition decreases exponentially with successive flower visits
null model
Statistical model that generates random patterns while preserving certain constraints, used as baseline for comparison
ordinal logistic regression
A regression approach that allows for multiple ordered response categories and provides more specific interpretation of exact probability of socioeconomic characteristics on constraints