Ecology without hypotheses has been dismissed (sometimes derided) as natural history, but even natural history requires one hypothesis. Reporting an observation requires >0 confidence that an observation is meaningful, can be communicated, and can be interpreted. There are also tacit hypotheses inherent in scale, including the duration, extent and complexity of natural history observations.
Hypothesis testing is a particularly relevant topic in US ecology at the moment because choices made in establishing the NEON program involve numerous hypotheses about ecosystem identity, composition, extent and location, the relevance of potential instrumentation and particular scales. However, the term 'hypothesis' is absent from NEON's website ( http://www.neoninc.org ). Explicit hypothesis testing done under NEON auspices will be subject to an array of tacit hypotheses, none of which have been articulated (or, it seems, even considered) by NEON's creators and promoters. Any supposedly non-hypothetical work conducted under NEON will face the same challenge. Matthew K Chew Assistant Research Professor Arizona State University School of Life Sciences ASU Center for Biology & Society PO Box 873301 Tempe, AZ 85287-3301 USA Tel 480.965.8422 Fax 480.965.8330 mc...@asu.edu or anek...@gmail.com http://cbs.asu.edu/people/profiles/chew.php http://asu.academia.edu/MattChew
