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1. Background

Before starting on the rest of the course, it is important to make sure we share a common background knowledge. This section of the course reviews vegetation science and the types of characteristics typically measured in the field, then covers basic statistical concepts. It is important that you review this material because it leads to the more advanced topics to come. Even if you have had an ecology course and a statistics course before (and you should, because those are prerequisites for the course!), you will probably encounter new concepts or perspectives. Besides, there are required quizzes and exercises within this section. And don't forget the fundamentals of scientific inquiry, something you'll be doing throughout the course.

Ecological background

Statistical background

Scientific inquiry