Empirical rules. A picture is worth a thousand words… or equations

Ecology is sometimes pejoratively called the science of proving the obvious.  Yet perhaps we exert so much effort “proving the obvious” because often what “ought” to be true is not.  If what ought to be true usually held, theoretical studies alone would be sufficient. Perhaps this is why major leaps forward come from careful empirical studies such as Paine’s delineation of a keystone species, Bertness’ study of plant-plant facilitation, and Tilman’s manipulation of plant diversity.  Whether theory preceded experiment or vice-versa, the lasting impact came in each case from an empirical demonstration that a phenomenon actually mattered in Nature.