Theory against data: testing ecological theories and concepts

Abstract

Ecology is characterised by a large and rapidly increasing body of theory. Empirical data are the best tests of ecological theory (Franklin and MacMahon, 2000; Krebs, 2008). Such tests are critical, especially if ecological theory is eventually to become useful in applied natural resource management, including the conservation of biodiversity (Doak and Mills, 1994; Fazey et al ., 2005). This chapter explores some of the tests of ecological theory and ecological concepts completed using datasets from Tumut. First, some results are summarised that indirectly examined the results of studies of landscape context effects (see Chapter 5) and their relationships with different conceptual models of landscape cover (see Chapter 2 for a discussion of these kinds of models). The second section of this chapter is a precis of research on nested subset theory. Third, the results of work on thresholds in the amount of native vegetation cover are outlined. Research on landscape indices is summarised in the fourth section of this chapter. The final section focuses on evidence for the peninsula effect at Tumut. Each section of this chapter comprises a short overview of the theory or the ecological concept being examined, a summary of research findings and a brief discussion of some of the lessons that emerged from the work. In some cases, to facilitate tests of a particular ecological theory or concept, new datasets had to be gathered to complement information that had already been collected.