An effective mutualism? The role of theoretical studies in ecology and evolution

Theoretical models often have fundamentally different goals than do empirical studies of the same topic. Models can test the logic of existing hypotheses, explore the plausibility of new hypotheses, provide expectations that can be tested with data, and address aspects of topics that are currently inaccessible empirically. Theoretical models are common in ecology and evolution, and are generally well-cited, but I show that many citations appearing in non-theoretical studies are general to topic and a substantial proportion are incorrect. One potential cause of this pattern is that some functions of models are rather abstract, leading to miscommunication between theoreticians and empiricists. Such misunderstandings are often triggered by simplifying, logistical assumptions that modelers make. The 2018 Vice Presidential Symposium of the American Society of Naturalists included a variety of mathematical models in ecology and evolution from across several topics. Common threads that appear ...

理论模型与同一主题的实证研究往往有着本质迥异的研究目标。模型可用于检验既有假说的逻辑合理性，探索新假说的可信性，提供可经由数据检验的理论预期，同时还可解决当前尚无法通过实证手段触及的研究议题。理论模型在生态学与进化生物学领域应用广泛，且通常被大量引用，但本文发现，非理论研究中的诸多引用仅与主题泛泛相关，且有相当比例的引用存在错误。造成这一现象的潜在原因之一，在于模型的部分功能相当抽象，导致理论研究者与实证研究者之间出现沟通障碍。这类误解往往源于建模者所做出的简化性与实操性假设。美国博物学家学会（American Society of Naturalists）2018年副会长专题研讨会涵盖了跨多个主题的生态学与进化生物学数学模型，其呈现出的共性议题包括……