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Lokatis S, Jeschke JM, Bernard-Verdier M, Buchholz S, Grossart HP, Havemann F, Hölker F, Itescu Y, Kowarik I, Kramer-Schadt S, Mietchen D, Musseau CL, Planillo A, Schittko C, Straka TM, Heger T. Hypotheses in urban ecology: building a common knowledge base. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1530-1547. [PMID: 37072921 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Urban ecology is a rapidly growing research field that has to keep pace with the pressing need to tackle the sustainability crisis. As an inherently multi-disciplinary field with close ties to practitioners and administrators, research synthesis and knowledge transfer between those different stakeholders is crucial. Knowledge maps can enhance knowledge transfer and provide orientation to researchers as well as practitioners. A promising option for developing such knowledge maps is to create hypothesis networks, which structure existing hypotheses and aggregate them according to topics and research aims. Combining expert knowledge with information from the literature, we here identify 62 research hypotheses used in urban ecology and link them in such a network. Our network clusters hypotheses into four distinct themes: (i) Urban species traits & evolution, (ii) Urban biotic communities, (iii) Urban habitats and (iv) Urban ecosystems. We discuss the potentials and limitations of this approach. All information is openly provided as part of an extendable Wikidata project, and we invite researchers, practitioners and others interested in urban ecology to contribute additional hypotheses, as well as comment and add to the existing ones. The hypothesis network and Wikidata project form a first step towards a knowledge base for urban ecology, which can be expanded and curated to benefit both practitioners and researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lokatis
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Jonathan M Jeschke
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Maud Bernard-Verdier
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Sascha Buchholz
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstr. 2, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Hans-Peter Grossart
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Maulbeerallee 2, Potsdam, 14469, Germany
| | - Frank Havemann
- Institut für Bibliotheks- und Informationswissenschaft, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Dorotheenstraße 26, Berlin, 10117, Germany
| | - Franz Hölker
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Yuval Itescu
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Ingo Kowarik
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, Berlin, 12165, Germany
| | - Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, Berlin, 12165, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
| | - Daniel Mietchen
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education (IGDORE), Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Camille L Musseau
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Aimara Planillo
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
| | - Conrad Schittko
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, Berlin, 12165, Germany
| | - Tanja M Straka
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, Berlin, 12165, Germany
| | - Tina Heger
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Technical University of Munich, Restoration Ecology, Emil-Ramann-Str. 6, Freising, 85350, Germany
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Heger T, Jeschke JM, Kollmann J. Some reflections on current invasion science and perspectives for an exciting future. NEOBIOTA 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.68.68997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Species spreading beyond their native ranges are important study objects in ecology and environmental sciences and research on biological invasions is thriving. Along with an increase in the number of publications, the research field is experiencing an increase in the diversity of methods applied and questions asked. This development has facilitated an upsurge in information on invasions, but it also creates conceptual and practical challenges. To provide more transparency on which kind of research is actually done in the field, the distinction between invasion science, encompassing the full spectrum of studies on biological invasions and the sub-field of invasion biology, studying patterns and mechanisms of species invasions with a focus on biological research questions, can be useful. Although covering a smaller range of topics, invasion biology today still is the driving force in invasion science and we discuss challenges stemming from its embeddedness in the social context. Invasion biology consists of the building blocks ‘theory’, ‘case studies’ and ‘application’, where theory takes the form of conceptual frameworks, major hypotheses and statistical generalisations. Referencing recent work in philosophy of science, we argue that invasion biology, like other biological or ecological disciplines, does not rely on the development of an all-encompassing theory in order to be efficient. We suggest, however, that theory development is nonetheless necessary and propose improvements. Recent advances in data visualisation, machine learning and semantic modelling are providing opportunities for enhancing knowledge management and presentation and we suggest that invasion science should use these to transform its ways of publishing, archiving and visualising research. Along with a stronger focus on studies going beyond purely biological questions, this would facilitate the efficient prevention and management of biological invasions.
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Gillette K, Inkpen SA, DesRoches CT. Does environmental science crowd out non-epistemic values? STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE 2021; 87:81-92. [PMID: 34111825 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
While no one denies that science depends on epistemic values, many philosophers of science have wrestled with the appropriate role of non-epistemic values, such as social, ethical, and political values. Recently, philosophers of science have overwhelmingly accepted that non-epistemic values should play a legitimate role in science. The recent philosophical debate has shifted from the value-free ideal in science to questions about how science should incorporate non-epistemic values. This article engages with such questions through an exploration of the environmental sciences. These sciences are a mosaic of diverse fields characterized by interdisciplinarity, problem-orientation, policy-directedness, and ubiquitous non-epistemic values. This article addresses a frequently voiced concern about many environmental science practices: that they 'crowd out' or displace significant non-epistemic values by either (1) entailing some non-epistemic values, rather than others, or by (2) obscuring discussion of non-epistemic values altogether. With three detailed case studies - monetizing nature, nature-society dualism, and ecosystem health - we show that the alleged problem of crowding out emerges from active debates within the environmental sciences. In each case, critics charge that the scientific practice in question displaces non-epistemic values in at least one of the two senses distinguished above. We show that crowding out is neither necessary nor always harmful when it occurs. However, we do see these putative objections to the application of environmental science as teaching valuable lessons about what matters for successful environmental science, all things considered. Given the significant role that many environmental scientists see for non-epistemic values in their fields, we argue that these cases motivate lessons about the importance of value-flexibility (that practices can accommodate a plurality of non-epistemic values), transparency about value-based decisions that inform practice, and environmental pragmatism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinley Gillette
- Department of Philosophy, University of British Columbia, 1866 Main Mall, Buchanan E370, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z1
| | - S Andrew Inkpen
- Department of Philosophy, Mount Allison University, 63D York St, Sackville, New Brunswick, E4L 1G9, Canada
| | - C Tyler DesRoches
- School of Sustainability and School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Arizona State University, Wrigley Hall, 800 Cady Mall #108, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA.
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