ABSTRACT
The previous two chapters have dealt with microbial records in which each individual count was independent or could be considered as practically independent of its predecessor and any other previous counts. Theoretically, the models discussed in Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 should be applicable only if this condition of independence is satisfied. It so happens, though, that minor violations of this condition seem to have little influence on the models’ ability to predict the frequencies of future outbursts. However, there is little doubt that such violations could affect the quality of the actual estimates.
