Statistical validation has rarely been conducted to examine the consistency between observed data and the output of ecological models, although such validation is critical for determining the goodness-of-fit of such models. Based on the statistical principle of whether two regression models can be combined, a statistical method is proposed for validating ecological models. In the method, a linear regression is fit to observed (x-axis) and modeled (y-axis) data, then tested for significant differences in slope and intercept from the line y=x. A case study shows that the method could be used to validate ecological models.