What is it about?
Ecologists have long been interested in general patterns, those that persist across studies and samples, to indicate support for general theories. When there are competing theories, however, bivariate data (x-y plots) provide no capacity to support one idea over another. This article explains why and illustrates an alternative approach - structural equation modeling.
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Why is it important?
Debate over the relationship between ecosystem productivity and species diversity has raged for over 40 years, without sign of resolution. This paper lays out why we must examine multivariate data instead of bi-variate data if we are to find a resolution.
Perspectives
I started in graduate school in 1973, the year that Grime proposed the first major theory to explain the mechanistic relationship between productivity and diversity. I have watched the discussion of this question for my entire career with great frustration. I believe we are now on track to provide a real answer.
James Grace
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Causal networks clarify productivity–richness interrelations, bivariate plots do not, Functional Ecology, March 2014, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12269.
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