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Ecology 6th Edition by Charles Krebs
Edition 6ISBN: 978-0321688149Ecology 6th Edition by Charles Krebs
Edition 6ISBN: 978-0321688149 Exercise 2
Quinn and Dunham (1983) argue that the conventional methods of science cannot be applied to ecological questions because there is not just one cause; one effect and many factors act together to produce ecological changes. Discuss the problem of "multiple causes" and how scientists can deal with complex systems that have multiple causes.
Explanation
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In earlier times, all the experiments were based merely on the data available through long experiments. But, in recent times, the increased accessibility to molecular phylogenies has resulted in renaissance of the interest in the link between species kinship and patterns of their co-occurrence in the communities. It is now promising to integrate the information available on the evolution of trait and on the relatedness of species present in a community while creating hypotheses regarding the forces driving the assembly of the community. For instance,
• when traits that are ecologically related are phylogenetically conserved or when they illustrate a sturdy phylogenetic signal.
• In a community, species are over-dispersed, that is, very distantly related species are co-occurring in a habitat more than what was expected.
• Negative ecological interactions amongst the relatives those are phenotypically similar are seen.
All these instances are hypothesized to have determined the assembly of the community. But, a number of different processes can lead to the same trait evolution and similar structural pattern of phylogenetic community, and therefore, experiments are eventually required to value whether these hypothesized processes are reliable to the ecological dynamics presently working in a community.
The scientific method includes following four steps:
a) Observation and explanation of a phenomenon or set of phenomena.
b) Preparation of a hypothesis to explicate the phenomena.
c) The hypothesis is applied to envisage the presence of other phenomena, and to predict the results for new observations.
d) Presentation of the experiments for the predictions by a number of independent scientists.
If the experiments stand out the hypothesis, it might come as a new theory or law of nature. If the experiments are not able to prove the hypothesis, then it is rejected or can be modified. It is commonly said in science that theories cannot be proved, but can only be disproved. There always remains a probability that a new observation with a new experiment would conflict a long-standing theory.
Both phylogenetic and experimental approaches can be used in isolation to generate hypotheses that can be tested by some alternative approach. For instance, phylogenetic patterns can propose the presence of a pivotal mechanism that can be examined using controlling experiments on current populations. A phylogenetic basis can also aid the researchers to design their experiments. Correspondingly, the results obtained can produce evolutionary hypotheses that can be tested using phylogenetic comparative approaches.
In spite of the bene?ts of assimilating approaches, the reconciliation of the results obtained from current and historical studies can present interpretational and logistical challenges. For instance, the assessment of the experimental results done across multiple species in a clade usually involves a common garden plan, which can result in variable outcomes basically because species have been aloof from the ecological context in which they have evolved.
• when traits that are ecologically related are phylogenetically conserved or when they illustrate a sturdy phylogenetic signal.
• In a community, species are over-dispersed, that is, very distantly related species are co-occurring in a habitat more than what was expected.
• Negative ecological interactions amongst the relatives those are phenotypically similar are seen.
All these instances are hypothesized to have determined the assembly of the community. But, a number of different processes can lead to the same trait evolution and similar structural pattern of phylogenetic community, and therefore, experiments are eventually required to value whether these hypothesized processes are reliable to the ecological dynamics presently working in a community.
The scientific method includes following four steps:
a) Observation and explanation of a phenomenon or set of phenomena.
b) Preparation of a hypothesis to explicate the phenomena.
c) The hypothesis is applied to envisage the presence of other phenomena, and to predict the results for new observations.
d) Presentation of the experiments for the predictions by a number of independent scientists.
If the experiments stand out the hypothesis, it might come as a new theory or law of nature. If the experiments are not able to prove the hypothesis, then it is rejected or can be modified. It is commonly said in science that theories cannot be proved, but can only be disproved. There always remains a probability that a new observation with a new experiment would conflict a long-standing theory.
Both phylogenetic and experimental approaches can be used in isolation to generate hypotheses that can be tested by some alternative approach. For instance, phylogenetic patterns can propose the presence of a pivotal mechanism that can be examined using controlling experiments on current populations. A phylogenetic basis can also aid the researchers to design their experiments. Correspondingly, the results obtained can produce evolutionary hypotheses that can be tested using phylogenetic comparative approaches.
In spite of the bene?ts of assimilating approaches, the reconciliation of the results obtained from current and historical studies can present interpretational and logistical challenges. For instance, the assessment of the experimental results done across multiple species in a clade usually involves a common garden plan, which can result in variable outcomes basically because species have been aloof from the ecological context in which they have evolved.
Ecology 6th Edition by Charles Krebs
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