Martedì 9 Giugno 2026 alle ore 16:45, nel quadro del ciclo di seminari Matematica in Azione, il prof. Tommaso Rigon (UNIMIB-BIDSA-MIDAS) terrà il seguente intervento
Titolo: 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.
Informazioni per partecipare
Il seminario si terrà in Aula U9-05 (Edificio U9 | Viale dell’Innovazione 10, Milano) e sarà possibile partecipare anche online da questo link.
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