Let’s Train More Theoretical Ecologists – Here Is Why

Rossberg, Axel G.; Barabás, György; Possingham, Hugh P.; Pascual, Mercedes; Marquet, Pablo A.; Hui, Cang; Evans, Matthew R.; Meszéna, Géza

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2019.06.004

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Considering the recurring calls for improving theoretical training in ecology (Odenbaugh 2005, Kolasa 2011, Scheiner and Willig 2011, Scheiner 2013, Marquet et al 2014, Rossberg et al 2019, we argue that including the understanding of how knowledge is generated in ecology in such training is crucial. If ecologists become more familiar with the different perspectives on theory structure, they may appreciate that, from a pragmatic view, ecology has a rich theoretical background and is developing as a mature science in its own terms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a pragmatic view of theories in ecology

Travassos-Britto

Pardini

El-Hani

et al. 2021

Oikos

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From an axiomatic point of view, scientific knowledge should be generated by deducing models from axioms and comparing these models to phenomena. Ecology has been dubbed theoretically immature because most of its knowledge is not generated that way. However, there are other ways to conceive theories. From a pragmatic perspective, knowledge is generated as researchers exchange, combine and use models of their choice to learn more about phenomena, even without a prior conceptual unification of these models. Such a context-dependent use of models leads to specific characteristics in pragmatic theories, which are easily identified in ecology. For this reason, we argue that ecology is not immature but pragmatic. SynthesisEcology has received many criticisms concerning its theoretical maturity, often on the grounds that it lacks laws and, therefore, a clear and unified theoretical background. We argue that the search for laws to understand ecological theory was prompted by the (perhaps inadvertent) adoption of an axiomatic perspective that traces back to syntactic and some semantic views of theory. We present examples showing how these views have a common logical structure, in which axioms can be interpreted as laws, even though there are semantic views that assume a more flexible perspective on theories. We then present, as an alternative, more pluralistic and process-based approaches that fall under the umbrella of pragmatic views of theories. Under this view, a theory is an ever-changing, context-dependent, collective construct, and thus does not necessarily fit into pre-defined logical structures such as those adopted by axiomatic views. We show that the diversity of models and structures found in ecological theories, as well as the way knowledge is produced within this field of science, makes ecology an exemplary candidate to be approached from a pragmatic perspective. Based on ecological succession theory as a case study, we illustrate how assuming a pragmatic view allows for new analyses that may foster our understanding of the theoretical structure and consequently further our understanding of ecological phenomena.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a pragmatic view of theories in ecology

Travassos-Britto

Pardini

El-Hani

et al. 2021

Oikos

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“…In that respect, we are encouraged by calls for increased training in theoretical foundations and aspects of ecology (Rossberg et al. 2019 ) as well as by the creation of numerous academic programs that provide multi-disciplinary training in sustainability and biological conservation. These programs include scientific, socio-economic, policy, and legal perspectives.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Building a Sustainable Future: Positioning Ecological Modelling for Impact in Ecosystems Management

et al. 2021

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As many ecosystems worldwide are in peril, efforts to manage them sustainably require scientific advice. While numerous researchers around the world use a great variety of models to understand ecological dynamics and their responses to disturbances, only a small fraction of these models are ever used to inform ecosystem management. There seems to be a perception that ecological models are not useful for management, even though mathematical models are indispensable in many other fields. We were curious about this mismatch, its roots, and potential ways to overcome it. We searched the literature on recommendations and best practices for how to make ecological models useful to the management of ecosystems and we searched for ‘success stories’ from the past. We selected and examined several cases where models were instrumental in ecosystem management. We documented their success and asked whether and to what extent they followed recommended best practices. We found that there is not a unique way to conduct a research project that is useful in management decisions. While research is more likely to have impact when conducted with many stakeholders involved and specific to a situation for which data are available, there are great examples of small groups or individuals conducting highly influential research even in the absence of detailed data. We put the question of modelling for ecosystem management into a socio-economic and national context and give our perspectives on how the discipline could move forward.

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“…We share a theory-centered view of science (del Rio 2008, Pásztor et al 2016a) with many of our colleagues (Rossberg et al 2019). We presented the core of a Darwinian theory consisting of observation-based assumptions and derived rules.…”

Section: Theory Models and Pragmatismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable laws in a changing world The structure of evolutionary theories over the centuries

Pásztor¹,

Meszéna²

2022

Preprint

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Successful fundamental theories are built on quantifiable principles. This paper shows that Darwin’s inclusive theory is built on such principles and follows their rocky road into the modern, operational theories. Besides reproduction, variation, and heredity, Darwin’s conditions of diversification also include the potential for exponential (geometric) population growth and its necessarily limited nature. The Struggle for Existence (Malthus Doctrine), the Principles of Natural Selection, Competitive Exclusion (Rule of Similarity), and Divergence are mere deductions from these conditions. At present, the system dynamic theory of robust coexistence, the theory of adaptive dynamics, and the extended theory of evolution all assume Darwin’s inclusive set of principles as essentials. While Lewontin's conditions for evolution by natural selection do not provide a sufficient basis to predict the outcome of evolution, incorporating the feedbacks controlling population growth and the tradeoffs between fitness components into the core of evolutionary theory leads to the conclusion that diversification is a fundamental, inherent feature of life, and provides laws that support the determination of the expected direction of evolution in any particular case.

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Let’s Train More Theoretical Ecologists – Here Is Why

Cited by 17 publications

References 15 publications

Towards a pragmatic view of theories in ecology

Towards a pragmatic view of theories in ecology

Towards Building a Sustainable Future: Positioning Ecological Modelling for Impact in Ecosystems Management

Stable laws in a changing world The structure of evolutionary theories over the centuries

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