The Use of Hypotheses in Ecology

The term ‘science’ encompasses a wide range of disciplines, and implies that there must be some common conceptual framework underlying the full range of activities from the physical through to the ecological sciences. At the physics and molecular biology end of the spectrum, the use of hypotheses seems to be standard practice. At the ecology and social sciences end, the use of explicitly articulated hypotheses is much more variable. Nevertheless, all scientific research must presumably share a common goal to reach the highest attainable levels of precision in explicitly articulating the research focus, and the research results. In this article, I describe how the hypothesis-driven research process can facilitate that goal, and evaluate the benefits and constraints of using hypotheses in ecology. In addition, I address the paradox that although many ecologists use hypotheses in the development of their research ideas, presumably because they find them an effective tool, relatively few maximise the benefits of this process by also reporting those hypotheses in their research publications.