Better Model Transfers Require Knowledge of Mechanisms
This article was published on May 1 2019 in Trends in ecology and evolution: volym 34, nr 6, p. 489-490 by Elsevier Ltd and can be found on this link >> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2019.04.006
Authors: Bouchet, Phil J.; Peterson, A. Townsend; Zurell, Damaris; Dormann, Carsten F.; Schoeman, David; Ross, Rebecca E.; Snelgrove, Paul; Sequeira, Ana M.M.; Whittingham, Mark J.; Wang, Lifei; Rapacciuolo, Giovanni; Oppel, Steffen; Mellin, Camille; Lauria, Valentina; Krishnakumar, Periyadan K.; Jones, Alice R.; Heinänen, Stefan (Novia); Heikkinen, Risto K.; Gregr, Edward J.; Fielding, Alan H.; Caley, M. Julian; Barbosa, A. Márcia; Bamford, Andrew J.; Lozano-Montes, Hector; Parnell, Stephen; Wenger, Seth; Yates, Katherine L.
Abstract
Model transferability is an emerging and important branch of predictive science that has grown primarily from a need to produce ecological forecasts in the face of widespread data deficiency and escalating environmental novelty. In our recent article in Trends in Ecology and Evolution [ 1 ], we outlined some of the major roadblocks that currently undermine the practice of model transfers in ecology. The response of Radchuk et al. [ 2 ] to our work stresses the value of considering ‘first principles’ in projections of ecosystem change [ 3 ] and offers insights into outstanding challenges specific to mechanistic (synonym: process-based) models [ 4 ].
References to abstract
- Yates K.L. et al., Outstanding challenges in the transferability of ecological models. Trends Ecol. Evol. 2018; 33: 790-802
- Radchuk V. et al.Transferability of mechanistic ecological models is about emergence. Trends Ecol. Evol. 2019; 34 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2019.01.010): 487-488
- Marquet P.A. et al. On the importance of first principles in ecological theory development. BioScience. 2015; 65: 342-343
- Dormann C.F. et al. Correlation and process in species distribution models: bridging a dichotomy. J. Biogeogr. 2012; 39: 2119-2131