BIOL 561, Week 6
Critique of Davis et al. Nature article
Assignment: Please carefully and critically read Davis et al. 1998, “Making mistakes when
predicting shifts in species range in response to global warming”, published in Nature. This article
was cited 675 times to date, and deals with the critical issue of predicting how species will shift
their ranges (i.e., the distribution of a species in geographical space) in response to climate change.
As you read, think about whether the authors have designed appropriate experiments to test their
hypotheses, or have considered other possible explanations for their data (alternative hypotheses).
If you need help with the paper, call me Wednesday or come to my office hours Thursday.
Format:
Please write a 1-2 page critique, double-spaced, with standard margins and Times Roman 12 point
font. Use subheadings to clarify the organization. Submit as a WORD file via e-mail and bring a
hard copy to class. Make sure your name is on the paper.
What you should consider in your critique:
Overview:
State the topic or phenomenon under consideration.
State the authors’ hypotheses; indicate which are major hypotheses and which are subordinate
hypotheses.
State the significance of the work.
Evaluation of the evidence for the favored hypothesis:
Explain the extent to which the evidence supports each of the stated hypotheses.
Was there an attempt to disprove?
Does the evidence leave room for alternative hypotheses?
Alternatives:
Do the authors adequately consider alternative hypotheses?
If they do not, state an alternative hypothesis that could account for one (or more) of their
observations, and explain how their data are consistent with your alternative explanation.
Tests:
Design an experiment that could challenge the authors’ hypothesis, or that could be used to test
an alternative hypothesis that they did not consider.
What possible outcome would falsify their hypothesis, or the alternative you have proposed?
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