The
culture of marine ecology
R.E. DeWreede-2004
Hydrobiologia,
512(1-3): 1-10
Abstract
:
Marine
algal ecology today faces many of the same problems as ecology in general,
e.g. lack of generality of experimental results, the difficulty of making
long-term predictions, and an apparent lack of agreement as to what
constitutes the proper or `acceptable' way of doing this particular
component of science. These problems, if real, affect marine algal ecology
everywhere but, in different geographical areas, specific problems also
occur; science in parts of Asia has some problems different from those in
other parts of the world. Since its inception, research in marine algal
ecology has been motivated by many factors, ranging from traditional needs,
to curiosity, to survival, to new technology, and economic needs. Each of
these has shaped the questions that have been asked by, and the level of
support society has been willing to supply to, ecology. For example the
requisites of tradition pushed marine ecology to ask questions about food
and ceremonial biota, and our fears today about loss of biota are pushing
for answers to questions about the means of preserving biodiversity. The
limitations of many marine ecological studies have been pointed out by
different individuals. Their comments have been valuable in forcing us to
examine what we are doing as marine ecologists, and how we are doing it.
Ecology, and marine algal ecology with it, has been accused of carrying out
small-scale studies that have no greater generality than the sites at which
the studies were done, and of using statistical procedures that are wrong or
inappropriate; also, there is disagreement within the ecological community
of how to correct for these `faults'. Some of the problems arise due to the
nature of our particular science, e.g. working with organisms with differing
genetic makeup and sensitivity of experimental results to small changes in
initial conditions. Other problems are more likely due to the individuals
doing the science, e.g. an inability to be an `expert' on all areas of
knowledge required for a modern ecologist (taxonomy, experimental design,
data analysis, etc.), and perhaps an unwillingness to recognize that in some
instances different methods of data analysis are applicable and valid. As
ecologists, we must come to grip with these problems, both for the sake of
our science, and for our own sake as practicing ecologists.
(Department
of Botany, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T
1Z4 E-mail: dewreede@science.ubc.ca)