week 7

meta-analysis

• what is meta-analysis?• is inductive experimentation similar to meta-

analysis in that one picks and choose data in order to prove one's hypothesis?

meta-analysis

• what is meta-analysis?• is inductive experimentation similar to meta-

analysis in that one picks and choose data in order to prove one's hypothesis?– induction: start from observation, move to theory– deduction: start with theory, move to observation

and confirmation

so, what’s meta-analysis?

ecotones

• how do ecotones occur if not created by humans?• ecotones can have high diversity, but also

contribute to biodiversity loss. how do these ideas work together?

• are the species found at the edges of ecotones more able than most to survive in variable conditions?

• can there be vertical ecotones, such as the canopy vs. forest floor?

• what is an edge effect?

fragmentation

• if habitat fragmentation forms geographical areas in which populations become geographically isolated, can this lead to allopatric speciation?

• what are the key differences between habitat patchiness and habitat fragmentation?

general questions

• what’s the difference between guild, taxa, and community?

• is there any benefit to having a community of generalists rather than a community of specialists?

• how is an ‘environmental gradient’ measured?  • what does the pricing of "sequencing the

genome” mean? • where does the energy in trophic levels go?

• what’s the question?• what are the predictions (competing

hypotheses)?• how did they test their predictions?• what were their results and conclusions?