Article ID: CBB568872966

The mind, the lab, and the field: Three kinds of populations in scientific practice (2015)

unapi

Scientists use models to understand the natural world, and it is important not to conflate model and nature. As an illustration, we distinguish three different kinds of populations in studies of ecology and evolution: theoretical, laboratory, and natural populations, exemplified by the work of R. A. Fisher, Thomas Park, and David Lack, respectively. Biologists are rightly concerned with all three types of populations. We examine the interplay between these different kinds of populations, and their pertinent models, in three examples: the notion of “effective” population size, the work of Thomas Park on Tribolium populations, and model-based clustering algorithms such as Structure. Finally, we discuss ways to move safely between three distinct population types while avoiding confusing models and reality.

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Authors & Contributors
Braillard, Pierre-Alain
MacLeod, Miles
Holmes, Tarquin
Caniglia, Guido
Wilkins, Adam
Inkpen, S. Andrew
Concepts
Biology
Field work
Ecology
Evolution
Laboratory techniques and procedures
Models and modeling in science
Time Periods
20th century
19th century
21st century
20th century, late
20th century, early
18th century
Places
United States
Latin America
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