After looking at all the responses, I still feel that "niche" is the right
word!
As for the new question, I don't know what statisticians might want to say,
but this is a basic tenet of hierarchical systems theory. More generally,
the more you focus on one hierarchical level, the less you know about
others. Ecologists need know relatively little about basic physiology for
example.
Bill Silvert
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wayne Tyson" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 12:15 AM
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] STATISTICS Help again and thanks for all the recent help
Thanks again to everyone who helped with my recent enquiry about tolerance
ranges and their mirror-images in the habitat fun-house.
Now, begging your endulgence once again, can anyone help me with background
on or explanation of this statistical dictum? Again, I'm working with a
fading memory, so I may not remember the exact phrasing.
"The more you know about a population, the less you know about any
individual in that population."
Gratefully,
WT
