Help with finding correct analysis method

[gonib]

Hello everyone,

I am analyzing a data set for a spatial ecology project.
The data is beetle abundance data collected from different natural patches.
The beetles abundance have been collected once a month for several months from a set of patches.
Every sample then consists of abundance data and numerical patch attributes.
some patch attributes are fixed (e.g size/shape of the patch), and some changes in time (e.g % of plant cover).

In general i am looking to see if these attributes affects the abundance of the beetles.

My questions are:

- Should i treat samples from same patches from every month as repeated measures? If so, which analysis should i use?
- Can i combine in the same model the variables that don't change through time with the ones that are changing?

Any advice would be much appreciated,
Thanks!

 

[Bukenya Ivan]

I suggest you look at Longitudinal Data analysis.
Then, also there is no problem combining Continuous time variables and those that are not continuous (discrete or categorical), unless otherwise.

 

[gonib]

Thanks!