From theory to experimental design-Quantifying a trait-based theory of predator-prey dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Successfully applying theoretical models to natural communities and predicting ecosystem behavior under changing conditions is the backbone of predictive ecology. However, the experiments required to test these models are dictated by practical constraints, and models are often opportunistically validated against data for which they were never intended. Alternatively, we can inform and improve experimental design by an in-depth pre-experimental analysis of the model, generating experiments better targeted at testing the validity of a theory. Here, we describe this process for a specific experiment. Starting from food web ecological theory, we formulate a model and design an experiment to optimally test the validity of the theory, supplementing traditional design considerations with model an

SUBMITTER: Laubmeier AN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5918917 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature