Prior knowledge in R and linear models including regression, ANOVA and ANCOVA is required. Please use the computer not a tablet because R is difficult to install on a tablet. The lecture will be made available on the day before. Students are required to go through the lecture until the next live meeting of the module. close

Inhalte:
Seminar: During the seminars, the topics covered in the lectures are deepened and discussed.

Qualifikationsziele:
In this module the students acquire the following knowledge and skills:

• Gain basic knowledge of structural equation modeling (SEM) framework
• Learn how to develop, evaluate, refine, solve, and interpret structural equation models
• Master basic skills to analyze data with SEM in the software R
• Gain knowledge of nested data and mixed effect models
• Gain basic knowledge of piecewise SEM and how it differs from the classical SEM
• Master basic skills to analyse nested data with the mixed effect models and piecewise SEM using the software R
• Gain basic understanding of causal relations, bottom-up and top-down control, and direct and indirect effects in ecological and biological systems (e.g., communities, food webs, ecosystems)
• Independently apply SEM and mixed effect models
• Present statistical methods and results in oral and written form to a specialist audience.

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Grace (2006) Structural Equation Modeling and Natural Systems. Cambridge Univ. Press.
Zuur et al. (2009) Mixed Effects Models and Extensions in Ecology in R. Springer
Crawley, M.J. (2012). The R book. John Wiley & Sons. close