Speaker
Description
“Context-dependence” is a ubiquitous challenge in ecological and social-ecological synthesis. Context-dependence occurs when a relationship varies depending on the conditions under which that relationship is observed. Unless we know what caused that variation (e.g. why is X correlated with Y in some circumstances but not others), we cannot effectively integrate the diverse evidence that exists for many relationships of interest. Much recent effort has gone into identifying and classifying different types of context dependence, which lay important groundwork for gaining a more mechanistic understanding of social-ecological systems. However, a less recognised point is the various scales at which context-dependence can arise, and the challenges associated with identifying which scale matters when looking for mechanistic explanations for context-dependence. Using plant-consumer interactions as an example, I will explore the scope of this issue. I will show how context-dependence can arise at the level of individual plants (e.g. intraspecific variation), species (e.g. different species respond in different ways to the same stimulus), local conditions (e.g. different soil resources in adjacent fields cause divergent trends) or regional trends (e.g. precipitation regimes and evolutionary history determine the possible range of ecological responses). This can cause problems when trying to integrate different studies into a knowledge graph, because without explicit measurement of relevant contexts at all these scales, it is difficult to know why the results of two studies may not be consistent, and thus what we can learn from their contrast. Strategies to meet this challenge will be a key part of knowledge synthesis.