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We argue for expanding the role of theory in ecology to accelerate scientific progress, enhance the ability to address environmental challenges, foster the development of synthesis and unification, and improve the design of experiments and large-scale environmental-monitoring programs. To achieve these goals, it is essential to foster the development of what we call efficient theories, which have several key attributes. Efficient theories are grounded in first principles, are usually expressed in the language of mathematics, make few assumptions and generate a large number of predictions per free parameter, are approximate, and entail predictions that provide well-understood standards for comparison with empirical data. We contend that the development and successive refinement of efficient theories provide a solid foundation for advancing environmental science in the era of big data.
Knowledge graph centered on On theory in ecology with 10 nodes and 24 connections. Top connected: Pekania pennanti, Biodiversity scales from plots to biomes with a un, Toward a synthesis of the Newtonian and Darwinian , John Harte, Scale collapse and the emergence of the power law .
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