[R-meta] Single group mean - metafor

[Manuela Santos Santana]

Dear all,

I am seeking input on a conceptual approach I’m considering for determining
critical thresholds for a biological response (a biomarker) using the
metafor package.

I have data from a monitoring program and aim to establish thresholds by
estimating a central tendency of the biomarker while accounting for its
variability across time, sampling efforts, and locations. The idea is to
use a single-group meta-analytic model to estimate a mean value, and then
use the confidence interval of that mean as a data-driven threshold range.

Specifically, I am considering using rma.mv() to model the mean response,
while including random effects to account for:

   -

   site-level variability,
   -

   temporal and sampling effort heterogeneity, and
   -

   potentially, phylogenetic correlations among species.

Would this be considered a sound statistical approach for defining such
thresholds? Are there any caveats or alternative modeling strategies I
should consider?

I appreciate any insights or references you can offer.

Best,

Manu

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