Application of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in Biological Science Research
G. Varalakshmi *
Department of Statistics, PRR & VS Government College, Vidavalur, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is a fundamental statistical tool for evaluating treatment effects across multiple groups in biological sciences. This paper reviews the use of ANOVA in commonly used designs—Completely Randomized Design (CRD), Randomized Block Design (RBD), and Latin Square Design (LSD)—with worked examples. Bar charts, flow diagrams, and layout tables are presented to illustrate how treatment differences can be visualized and interpreted. Moreover, post-hoc tests such as Tukey’s HSD and Bonferroni correction, as well as advanced approaches like two-way ANOVA and factorial designs, are discussed in biological contexts. Importantly, this work is positioned as a methodological tutorial for biological researchers and educators, providing worked examples to demonstrate the practical application of ANOVA in biological systems.
Keywords: Statistical analysis of variance, design of experiments, CRD, RBD, LSD, hypothesis testing