Answer to Question #2644 in Biology for azadeh

Question

I am working on the abundance of 8 animal species in 5 geographical regions. The number of animals is very different in these regions. I want to know if it is reliable to compare the number of different species in these 5 regions and how can I test this reliability.

Answer 1

There are lots of different methods for establishing data sets. What will work most reliably for one species will not be reliable for another.
Depending on the animal(s) you seek and the area to be covered line transects may be the most usefull tool.
Repetition is the only method of proving data sets (or comparison with other previouse data sets). Even then some leeway for environmental factors must be allowed.
For birds a method that can be quite reliable is nest sites and calls.