Eutrophication of coastal ecosystems and decline of essential benthic ecosystems are growing concerns globally. Understanding the drivers associated with a response of an indicator species at an ecosystem or even regional-scale hinges on a robust evaluation of data that spans both space and time. Consistent data, suitable and methodical data-handling procedures, appropriate statistical evaluation and logical assessment of hypotheses are essential. Lapointe et al. (Mar Biol 166:108, 2019) suggest that decline of stony coral at Looe Key reef is attributed to local and regional (i.e., discharge > 200 km away) nutrient discharges causing eutrophication of coastal waters and the degradation of essential habitat. Furthermore, Lapointe et al. (Mar Biol 166:108, 2019) posit that the restored freshwater flows to the Everglades ecosystem is a causative agent for the observed coral decline observed at Looe Key Reef. While the decline in coral coverage is alarming, rigorous statistical analysis is needed to attribute a true cause-and-effect relationship. This commentary discusses data handling techniques, the application of statistical methods, interoperability of data and evaluation of hypotheses presented by Lapointe et al. (Mar Biol 166:108, 2019) specific to Looe Key reef within the Florida Key Marine Sanctuary. This commentary is not merely a critique of the statistics used by the authors but rather the inappropriate statistical methods utilized and how it affects the acceptance or rejection of the authors’ hypotheses and the overall conclusions drawn.

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让科学正确地保护和恢复我们的环境。对 Lapointe 等人的批评。(2019) 美国佛罗里达群岛 Looe Key 的氮富集、化学计量学改变和珊瑚礁减少：一项为期 3 年的研究

沿海生态系统的富营养化和基本底栖生态系统的衰退是全球日益关注的问题。了解与生态系统甚至区域尺度的指示物种响应相关的驱动因素取决于对跨越空间和时间的数据的稳健评估。一致的数据、适当和有条理的数据处理程序、适当的统计评估和假设的逻辑评估是必不可少的。拉波因特等人。(Mar Biol 166:108, 2019) 表明 Looe Key 礁石珊瑚的减少归因于当地和区域（即排放 > 200 公里外）营养物质排放导致沿海水域富营养化和基本栖息地退化。此外，Lapointe 等人。(Mar Biol 166:108, 2019 年）假定恢复的淡水流入大沼泽地生态系统是在卢基礁观察到的珊瑚减少的原因。虽然珊瑚覆盖率的下降令人震惊，但需要进行严格的统计分析来确定真正的因果关系。本评论讨论了数据处理技术、统计方法的应用、数据的互操作性以及对 Lapointe 等人提出的假设的评估。(Mar Biol 166:108, 2019) 特定于佛罗里达礁岛群海洋保护区内的 Looe Key 礁。这篇评论不仅是对作者使用的统计数据的批评，而且是对所使用的不恰当统计方法的批评，以及它如何影响对作者假设和得出的总体结论的接受或拒绝。