Addressing context dependence in ecology

Jane A. Catford; John R.U. Wilson; Petr Pyšek; Philip E. Hulme; Richard P. Duncan

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2021.09.007

Addressing context dependence in ecology

Jane A. Catford^*, John R.U. Wilson, Petr Pyšek, Philip E. Hulme, Richard P. Duncan

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

187 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Context dependence is widely invoked to explain disparate results in ecology. It arises when the magnitude or sign of a relationship varies due to the conditions under which it is observed. Such variation, especially when unexplained, can lead to spurious or seemingly contradictory conclusions, which can limit understanding and our ability to transfer findings across studies, space, and time. Using examples from biological invasions, we identify two types of context dependence resulting from four sources: mechanistic context dependence arises from interaction effects; and apparent context dependence can arise from the presence of confounding factors, problems of statistical inference, and methodological differences among studies. Addressing context dependence is a critical challenge in ecology, essential for increased understanding and prediction.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	158-170
Number of pages	13
Journal	Trends in Ecology & Evolution
Volume	37
Issue number	2
Early online date	29 Oct 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.09.007
Publication status	Published - Feb 2022

Keywords

apparent and mechanistic context dependence
contingency and higher-order interactions
ecological interaction effects
experimental design and statistics
invasive alien species
multiple stressors and global environmental change factors

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.tree.2021.09.007

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title = "Addressing context dependence in ecology",

abstract = "Context dependence is widely invoked to explain disparate results in ecology. It arises when the magnitude or sign of a relationship varies due to the conditions under which it is observed. Such variation, especially when unexplained, can lead to spurious or seemingly contradictory conclusions, which can limit understanding and our ability to transfer findings across studies, space, and time. Using examples from biological invasions, we identify two types of context dependence resulting from four sources: mechanistic context dependence arises from interaction effects; and apparent context dependence can arise from the presence of confounding factors, problems of statistical inference, and methodological differences among studies. Addressing context dependence is a critical challenge in ecology, essential for increased understanding and prediction.",

keywords = "apparent and mechanistic context dependence, contingency and higher-order interactions, ecological interaction effects, experimental design and statistics, invasive alien species, multiple stressors and global environmental change factors",

author = "Catford, {Jane A.} and Wilson, {John R.U.} and Petr Py{\v s}ek and Hulme, {Philip E.} and Duncan, {Richard P.}",

note = "Funding Information: We thank Becks Spake, Est{\'i}baliz Palma, Ren-Jay Wang, and Sarah Wyse for images in Box 1 and Kevin Mueller and an anonymous reviewer for comments that helped improve the paper. The idea for this paper stemmed from a keynote delivered by J.A.C. at the 2019 Ecology and Management of Alien Plant Invasions conference; J.A.C. thanks people for feedback on that presentation. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. [101002987] to J.A.C.). J.R.U.W. thanks the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for funding, noting that the views expressed here need not represent those of DFFE or its employees. P.P. was supported by EXPRO grant No. 19-28807X (Czech Science Foundation) and long-term research development project RVO 67985939 (Czech Academy of Sciences). No interests are declared. Funding Information: We thank Becks Spake, Est{\'i}baliz Palma, Ren-Jay Wang, and Sarah Wyse for images in Box 1 and Kevin Mueller and an anonymous reviewer for comments that helped improve the paper. The idea for this paper stemmed from a keynote delivered by J.A.C. at the 2019 Ecology and Management of Alien Plant Invasions conference; J.A.C. thanks people for feedback on that presentation. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. [ 101002987 ] to J.A.C.). J.R.U.W. thanks the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for funding, noting that the views expressed here need not represent those of DFFE or its employees. P.P. was supported by EXPRO grant No. 19-28807X ( Czech Science Foundation ) and long-term research development project RVO 67985939 ( Czech Academy of Sciences ). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Authors",

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language = "English",

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AB - Context dependence is widely invoked to explain disparate results in ecology. It arises when the magnitude or sign of a relationship varies due to the conditions under which it is observed. Such variation, especially when unexplained, can lead to spurious or seemingly contradictory conclusions, which can limit understanding and our ability to transfer findings across studies, space, and time. Using examples from biological invasions, we identify two types of context dependence resulting from four sources: mechanistic context dependence arises from interaction effects; and apparent context dependence can arise from the presence of confounding factors, problems of statistical inference, and methodological differences among studies. Addressing context dependence is a critical challenge in ecology, essential for increased understanding and prediction.

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Addressing context dependence in ecology

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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