Failures to disagree are essential for environmental science to effectively influence policy development

Norberg, Jon; Blenckner, Thorsten; Cornell, Sarah; Petchey, Owen L.; Hillebrand, Helmut

doi:10.1111/ele.13984

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 157 publications

(187 reference statements)

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“…There are, however, a growing number of observations showing marked inter-annual variability in the relative dominance of phytoplankton over submerged plant abundance [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] . As is often the case when theory confronts data 28 the theory has undergone some revisions, including multiple stable states 29 cyclical shifts between states 30 and the presence of the ghosts of long-term transients 24 . In addition, other studies have identified the regular coexistence of clear water and turbid conditions within a single growing season 31,32 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Bimodality and alternative equilibria do not help explain long-term patterns in shallow lake chlorophyll-a

et al. 2023

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Since its inception, the theory of alternative equilibria in shallow lakes has evolved and been applied to an ever wider range of ecological and socioecological systems. The theory posits the existence of two alternative stable states or equilibria, which in shallow lakes are characterised by either clear water with abundant plants or turbid water where phytoplankton dominate. Here, we used data simulations and real-world data sets from Denmark and north-eastern USA (902 lakes in total) to examine the relationship between shallow lake phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll-a) and nutrient concentrations across a range of timescales. The data simulations demonstrated that three diagnostic tests could reliably identify the presence or absence of alternative equilibria. The real-world data accorded with data simulations where alternative equilibria were absent. Crucially, it was only as the temporal scale of observation increased (>3 years) that a predictable linear relationship between nutrient concentration and chlorophyll-a was evident. Thus, when a longer term perspective is taken, the notion of alternative equilibria is not required to explain the response of chlorophyll-a to nutrient enrichment which questions the utility of the theory for explaining shallow lake response to, and recovery from, eutrophication.

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confidence: 99%

Bimodality and alternative equilibria do not help explain long-term patterns in shallow lake chlorophyll-a

et al. 2023

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“…This affects the study of mycorrhizal symbioses as there are significant differences in the focus of AM versus EcM studies, hampering the generation of a unified language to describe them [11,47]. Applying trait-based methods to highly context-dependent mycorrhizal symbioses without a standardized vocabulary is challenging and can result in 'locked-in debates' among researchers that hinder scientific advances [51].…”

Section: Controversy and Disagreement In What Constitutes A Mycorrhiz...mentioning

confidence: 99%

What are mycorrhizal traits?

Chaudhary

Holland

Suw

et al. 2022

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

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“…As for multiple other very important questions in biology, explanations for hypometric metabolic scaling are unresolved, and we hope that this paper will aid interested scientists in the development of an agreed-upon theory. Doing so requires that participants in the field directly address each other's arguments, recognize the context-dependence of biological processes, and consider multiple hypotheses ( Norberg et al 2022 ). We do not attempt to review all the evidence for and against the various hypotheses, and refer readers to excellent, more comprehensive reviews on this subject ( Glazier 2014 ; White and Kearney 2014 ; 2018 ; Harrison 2018 ; Kozłowski et al 2020 ).…”

Section: General Introduction To Hypometric Metabolic Scalingmentioning

confidence: 99%

White Paper: An Integrated Perspective on the Causes of Hypometric Metabolic Scaling in Animals

Harrison

Biewener

Bernhardt

et al. 2022

Integrative and Comparative Biology

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Larger animals studied during ontogeny, across populations, or across species, usually have lower mass-specific metabolic rates than smaller animals (hypometric scaling). This pattern is usually observed regardless of physiological state (e.g. basal, resting, field, maximally-active). The scaling of metabolism is usually highly correlated with the scaling of many life history traits, behaviors, physiological variables, and cellular/molecular properties, making determination of the causation of this pattern challenging. For across-species comparisons of resting and locomoting animals (but less so for across populations or during ontogeny), the mechanisms at the physiological and cellular level are becoming clear. Lower mass-specific metabolic rates of larger species at rest are due to a) lower contents of expensive tissues (brains, liver, kidneys), and b) slower ion leak across membranes at least partially due to membrane composition, with lower ion pump ATPase activities. Lower mass-specific costs of larger species during locomotion are due to lower costs for lower-frequency muscle activity, with slower myosin and Ca++ ATPase activities, and likely more elastic energy storage. The evolutionary explanation(s) for hypometric scaling remain(s) highly controversial. One subset of evolutionary hypotheses relies on constraints on larger animals due to changes in geometry with size; for example, lower surface-to-volume ratios of exchange surfaces may constrain nutrient or heat exchange, or lower cross-sectional areas of muscles and tendons relative to body mass ratios would make larger animals more fragile without compensation. Another subset of hypotheses suggests that hypometric scaling arises from biotic interactions and correlated selection, with larger animals experiencing less selection for mass-specific growth or neurolocomotor performance. A additional third type of explanation comes from population genetics. Larger animals with their lower effective population sizes and subsequent less effective selection relative to drift may have more deleterious mutations, reducing maximal performance and metabolic rates. Resolving the evolutionary explanation for the hypometric scaling of metabolism and associated variables is a major challenge for organismal and evolutionary biology. To aid progress, we identify some variation in terminology use that has impeded cross-field conversations on scaling. We also suggest that promising directions for the field to move forward include: 1) studies examining the linkages between ontogenetic, population-level, and cross-species allometries, 2) studies linking scaling to ecological or phylogenetic context, 3) studies that consider multiple, possibly interacting hypotheses, and 4) obtaining better field data for metabolic rates and the life history correlates of metabolic rate such as lifespan, growth rate and reproduction.

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Failures to disagree are essential for environmental science to effectively influence policy development

Cited by 17 publications

References 157 publications

Bimodality and alternative equilibria do not help explain long-term patterns in shallow lake chlorophyll-a

Bimodality and alternative equilibria do not help explain long-term patterns in shallow lake chlorophyll-a

What are mycorrhizal traits?

White Paper: An Integrated Perspective on the Causes of Hypometric Metabolic Scaling in Animals

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