Tuesday 9 June 2026 at 4:45 pm, as part of the Matematica in Azione seminar cycle, prof. Tommaso Rigon (UNIMIB-BIDSA-MIDAS) will hold the following talk
Title: A Bayesian theory for estimation of biodiversity
Abstract: Statistical inference on biodiversity has a rich history going back to RA Fisher. An influential ecological theory suggests the existence of a fundamental biodiversity number, denoted alpha, which coincides with the precision parameter of a Dirichlet process. Motivated by this theory, we develop Bayesian nonparametric methods for statistical inference on biodiversity, building on the literature on Gibbs-type priors. We argue that sigma-diversity is the most natural extension of the fundamental biodiversity number and discuss strategies for its estimation. Furthermore, we develop novel theory and methods starting with an Aldous-Pitman process, which serves as the building block for any Gibbs-type prior with a square-root growth rate. We propose a modeling framework that accommodates the hierarchical structure of Linnean taxonomy, offering a more refined approach to quantifying biodiversity. The analysis of a large and comprehensive dataset on Amazon tree flora provides a motivating application.
Information to attend
The seminar will be held in Room U9-05 (U9 Building | Viale dell’Innovazione 10, Milano) and will also be available online by this link.
For more information, visit the website