Pseudoreplication
Definition
Treating correlated subsamples as though they were independent experimental replicates. Repeated measurements or subsamples can share an experimental unit. Treating them as independent can exaggerate the amount of evidence supporting a model.
- Context
- Experimental design
For example, ten repeatedly sampled regions on one carcass are not automatically ten independent carcass-level replicates in an environmental experiment.
Multiple insects from one carcass or culture are not automatically independent environmental replicates. Replication should match the question and analysis.
Related terms
- Assemblage
- The taxa represented together in a defined observation or sample, interpreted within its collection and analytical context. Insects, pollen or diatoms can...
- Carrion Succession
- Changes in a carrion-associated community over time, influenced by environment and sampling. Succession describes changes in organisms associated with a resource. Temperature,...
- Faunal Assemblage
- A faunal assemblage is the set of animals represented together in a defined observation or sample, such as insects collected during a...
- Pre-Appearance Interval
- Time before a defined taxon or stage is first recorded under a stated reference design. A first recorded appearance depends on a...
- Primary Coloniser
- A descriptive early coloniser, without a universally fixed taxon or arrival time. These labels describe relative ecological roles or arrivals within a...
- Residency Interval
- A period of recorded occurrence defined by the study and observation type. Locality, season, resource and sampling are part of that reference....
- Secondary Coloniser
- A descriptive later coloniser, not an obligatory second arrival at every scene. These labels describe relative ecological roles or arrivals within a...
- Succession
- Changes in an associated community through time under particular ecological conditions. Succession describes changes in organisms associated with a resource. Temperature, habitat,...
- Successional PMI Window
- A timing assessment based on suitable community reference information, with detection and applicability limits. A suitable community reference can inform timing when...
- Tertiary Coloniser
- A descriptive label sometimes used for later arrivals, without a universal third tier or timetable. These labels describe relative ecological roles or...