The scientific nature of Ecology and Evolution
Ecologists and evolutionary biologists produce scientific knowledge by applying the hypothetico-deductive method, which consists of proposition of hypotheses based on theory, and of test of predictions based on observation of natural phenomena (Mentis 1988). A set of observations have the power to improve, modify, falsify, and propose new hypotheses and theories that, in turn, require a new set of observations to be tested (Mentis 1988). Therefore, progress in ecology and evolutionary biology strongly depends on fresh observations, which is often basic natural history, even if they are done with novel technologies or inside laboratories. Nonetheless, the scientific value of natural history and its recognition in promoting advances across disciplines has been neglected.
Since the 1960s the number of graduated biologists with first-hand knowledge about nature has been decreasing at a constant rate (Futuyma 1998; Noss 1996; Schmidly 2005; Tewksbury et al. 2014). Moreover, field and organism-oriented biology courses are no longer requirements to obtain degrees and are being removed from curricula (Tewksbury et al. 2014). The broad understanding of taxonomy, field and organismal biology are being replaced by specialized in-door technical knowledge (Drew 2011; Fleischner et al. 2017). Such decrease in graduating ”functional” biologist-naturalists goes beyond academic interests. As an example, if professional ecologists do not have sufficient training in field biology and taxonomy (Drew 2011; Fleischner et al. 2017), environmental regulations might be compromised if early-professionals fail to recognize changes in natural systems, hindering also the development of effective conservation and restoration strategies. The intimate connection of natural history and ecology cannot be forgotten or taken for granted. Here, I advocate in favor of the return of a natural history mindset across biology disciplines, while arguing that it needs to be revised taking advantage of new methods and technologies (Tosa et al. 2021). Influential nineteenth century naturalists had the privilege to dedicate their lives to carefully observe nature, collect specimens, and extensively ruminate to understand the natural world. First-hand experiences during formative phases are necessary to generate insightful contributions. Since most biology students graduate lacking hands-on experiences, educational institutions need again to incentivize the practice and teaching of natural history, in order to promote practical experiences in the field while revitalizing it to merge it once again with biology.