Beyond description: the active and effective way to infer processes from spatial patterns

The ecological processes that create spatial patterns have been examined by direct measurement and through measurement of patterns resulting from experimental manipulations. But in many situations, creating experiments and direct measurement of spatial processes can be difficult or impossible. Here,...

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Vydáno v:	Ecology (Durham) Ročník 90; číslo 1; s. 46 - 56
Hlavní autoři:	McIntire, Eliot J.B, Fajardo, Alex
Médium:	Journal Article
Jazyk:	angličtina
Vydáno:	Washington, DC Ecological Society of America 2009
Témata:	a priori inference A priori knowledge Animal and plant ecology Animal behavior Animal, plant and microbial ecology Animals Biodiversity Biological and medical sciences botanical composition competition Concepts & Synthesis: Emphasizing New Ideas to Stimulate Research in Ecology Conservation of Natural Resources data analysis Demography dispersal dispersal behavior diversity Ecological competition Ecological modeling Ecological processes Ecology Ecosystem ecosystems field experimentation Fish Fishes Fishes - physiology Flowers & plants Forest ecology forests Fresh Water Freshwater fish Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology General aspects Inference invasion invasive species Landscape ecology literature reviews measurement meta-analysis Motor Activity Mustelidae Mustelidae - physiology Nonnative species physiology Plant diversity Plant ecology space as a surrogate Spatial analysis spatial data spatial distribution spatial pattern spatial patterns spatial residuals spatial variation stand structure Trees Tropical Climate tropics vegetation wildlife Competition Description Diversity a priori inference: competition spatial residuals dispersal Ecology Spatial variation Dispersion Invasion Spatial distribution space as a surrogate: spatial pattern ecological processes
ISSN:	0012-9658, 1939-9170
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Popis
Shrnutí:	The ecological processes that create spatial patterns have been examined by direct measurement and through measurement of patterns resulting from experimental manipulations. But in many situations, creating experiments and direct measurement of spatial processes can be difficult or impossible. Here, we identify and define a rapidly emerging alternative approach, which we formalize as "space as a surrogate" for unmeasured processes, that is used to maximize inference about ecological processes through the analysis of spatial patterns or spatial residuals alone. This approach requires three elements to be successful: a priori hypotheses, ecological theory and/or knowledge, and precise spatial analysis. We offer new insights into a long-standing debate about process—pattern links in ecology and highlight six recent studies that have successfully examined spatial patterns to understand a diverse array of processes: competition in forest-stand dynamics, dispersal of freshwater fish, movement of American marten, invasion mechanisms of exotic trees, dynamics of natural disturbances, and tropical-plant diversity. Key benefits of using space as a surrogate can be found where experimental manipulation or direct measurements are difficult or expensive to obtain or not possible. We note that, even where experiments can be performed, this procedure may aid in measuring the in situ importance of the processes uncovered through experiments.
Bibliografie:	SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 14 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0012-9658 1939-9170
DOI:	10.1890/07-2096.1