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Pottier P, Noble DWA, Seebacher F, Wu NC, Burke S, Lagisz M, Schwanz LE, Drobniak SM, Nakagawa S. New horizons for comparative studies and meta-analyses. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:435-445. [PMID: 38216408 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Comparative analyses and meta-analyses are key tools to elucidate broad biological principles, yet the two approaches often appear different in purpose. We propose an integrated approach that can generate deeper insights into ecoevolutionary processes. Marrying comparative and meta-analytic approaches will allow for (i) a more accurate investigation of drivers of biological variation, (ii) a greater ability to account for sources of non-independence in experimental data, (iii) more effective control of publication bias, and (iv) improved transparency and reproducibility. Stronger integration of meta-analytic and comparative studies can also broaden the scope from species-centric investigations to community-level responses and function-valued traits (e.g., reaction norms). We illuminate commonalities, differences, and the transformative potential of combining these methodologies for advancing ecology and evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice Pottier
- Evolution and Ecology Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Daniel W A Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, College of Science, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Frank Seebacher
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nicholas C Wu
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Samantha Burke
- Evolution and Ecology Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution and Ecology Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna 904-0495, Japan
| | - Lisa E Schwanz
- Evolution and Ecology Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Szymon M Drobniak
- Evolution and Ecology Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution and Ecology Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna 904-0495, Japan
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Bruns SB, Deressa TK, Stanley TD, Doucouliagos C, Ioannidis JPA. Estimating the extent of selective reporting: An application to economics. Res Synth Methods 2024. [PMID: 38379427 DOI: 10.1002/jrsm.1711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Using a sample of 70,399 published p-values from 192 meta-analyses, we empirically estimate the counterfactual distribution of p-values in the absence of any biases. Comparing observed p-values with counterfactually expected p-values allows us to estimate how many p-values are published as being statistically significant when they should have been published as non-significant. We estimate the extent of selectively reported p-values to range between 57.7% and 71.9% of the significant p-values. The counterfactual p-value distribution also allows us to assess shifts of p-values along the entire distribution of published p-values, revealing that particularly very small p-values (p < 0.001) are unexpectedly abundant in the published literature. Subsample analysis suggests that the extent of selective reporting is reduced in research fields that use experimental designs, analyze microeconomics research questions, and have at least some adequately powered studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan B Bruns
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Economics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford, California, USA
| | - Teshome K Deressa
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - T D Stanley
- Department of Economics, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Chris Doucouliagos
- Department of Economics, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - John P A Ioannidis
- Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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Nakagawa S, Lagisz M, Yang Y, Drobniak SM. Finding the right power balance: Better study design and collaboration can reduce dependence on statistical power. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002423. [PMID: 38190355 PMCID: PMC10773938 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Power analysis currently dominates sample size determination for experiments, particularly in grant and ethics applications. Yet, this focus could paradoxically result in suboptimal study design because publication biases towards studies with the largest effects can lead to the overestimation of effect sizes. In this Essay, we propose a paradigm shift towards better study designs that focus less on statistical power. We also advocate for (pre)registration and obligatory reporting of all results (regardless of statistical significance), better facilitation of team science and multi-institutional collaboration that incorporates heterogenization, and the use of prospective and living meta-analyses to generate generalizable results. Such changes could make science more effective and, potentially, more equitable, helping to cultivate better collaborations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Japan
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Japan
| | - Yefeng Yang
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Szymon M. Drobniak
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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Kozlov MV. Phenotypic Diversity of a Leafroller Archips podana (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) Does Not Change along an Industrial Pollution Gradient. INSECTS 2023; 14:927. [PMID: 38132600 PMCID: PMC10743578 DOI: 10.3390/insects14120927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Morphological polymorphism offers rich opportunities for studying the eco-evolutionary mechanisms that drive the adaptations of local populations to heterogeneous and changing environments. In this study, I explore the association between pollution load, abundance of large fruit-tree tortrix Archips podana and its within-species diversity (expressed in the presence of apical and/or lateral prongs on the phallus in male genitalia) across 26 study sites located 0.5 to 31 km from the industrial city of Lipetsk in central Russia. The Shannon diversity index, calculated from the frequencies of four morphs, correlated neither with the distance to the nearest industrial polluter (a proxy of pollution load) nor with the number of moths captured by pheromone traps (a measure of population abundance). The statistical power of the correlation analysis was sufficient (67%) to detect a medium effect (i.e., Pearson correlation coefficient with an absolute value of 0.40), if it existed. I conclude that the four phenotypes of A. podana do not differ in tolerance to industrial pollution and similarly respond to pollution-induced environmental disturbance. This is the first study of industrial pollution impacts on within-species diversity of insects expressed in the discrete traits of their male genitalia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail V Kozlov
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
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Gebru NM, Goncalves PD, Cruz RA, Thompson WK, Allegair N, Potter A, Garavan H, Dumas J, Leeman RF, Johnson M. Effects of parental mental health and family environment on impulsivity in preadolescents: a longitudinal ABCD study ®. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1213894. [PMID: 37942273 PMCID: PMC10628051 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1213894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Impulsivity is a known risk factor for the development of substance use disorders and other psychiatric conditions that is influenced by both genetics and environment. Although research has linked parental mental health to children's impulsivity, potential mediators of this relationship remain understudied. The current investigation leverages the large national Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study to assess the mediating role of family conflict - an important social context for youth development - in the relationship between parental mental health and youth impulsivity. Methods Data were from the first three annual waves of the ABCD study (Baseline N = 11,876 children, Mage = 9.9 years; 48% female; 52% White). Parental mental health conditions were self-reported internalizing, externalizing, and total problems. Youth completed the family conflict scale, and Urgency, Planning (lack of), Perseverance (lack of), Sensation Seeking, and Positive Urgency (UPPS-P) scale to measure impulsivity. To determine if within-family change in conflict from baseline to year 1 explained changes in the strength of relations between baseline parental mental health and year 2 youth impulsivity, longitudinal causal mediation analyses were conducted, controlling for demographic factors (i.e., age, sex, race, household income, parental education, marital status), as well as baseline levels of family conflict and outcomes. Separate mediation models were run for each mental health condition and each UPPS-P subscale. Results Above and beyond bivariate relations, longitudinal mediation models, which included covariates, showed family conflict significantly (ps < 0.001) mediated relations between all three parental mental health conditions and all but one (i.e., sensation seeking) UPPS-P subscales. The proportion mediated through family conflict for internalizing problems and total problems on facets of impulsivity (except sensation seeking) ranged from 9% (for lack of perseverance) to 17% (for lack of planning). Proportion mediated via family conflict for externalizing problems on youth's impulsivity (except sensation seeking) was slightly higher, ranging between 13% (lack of perseverance) to 21% (lack of planning). Discussion Family conflict may be an important intergenerational factor linking parental mental health and youth's impulsivity. Addressing parental mental health and family conflict may help curb increased impulsivity in youth, and in turn reduce adolescent substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nioud Mulugeta Gebru
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, United States
- Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Priscila Dib Goncalves
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Rick A. Cruz
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Wesley K. Thompson
- Center for Population Neuroscience and Genetics, Laureate Institute for Brain Institute, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Nicholas Allegair
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Alexandra Potter
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Hugh Garavan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Julie Dumas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Robert F. Leeman
- Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Micah Johnson
- The Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
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Kimmel K, Avolio ML, Ferraro PJ. Empirical evidence of widespread exaggeration bias and selective reporting in ecology. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1525-1536. [PMID: 37537387 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02144-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
In many scientific disciplines, common research practices have led to unreliable and exaggerated evidence about scientific phenomena. Here we describe some of these practices and quantify their pervasiveness in recent ecology publications in five popular journals. In an analysis of over 350 studies published between 2018 and 2020, we detect empirical evidence of exaggeration bias and selective reporting of statistically significant results. This evidence implies that the published effect sizes in ecology journals exaggerate the importance of the ecological relationships that they aim to quantify. An exaggerated evidence base hinders the ability of empirical ecology to reliably contribute to science, policy, and management. To increase the credibility of ecology research, we describe a set of actions that ecologists should take, including changes to scientific norms about what high-quality ecology looks like and expectations about what high-quality studies can deliver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin Kimmel
- Mad Agriculture, Boulder, CO, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Meghan L Avolio
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Paul J Ferraro
- Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, a joint department of the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Parker TH, Yang Y. Exaggerated effects in ecology. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1356-1357. [PMID: 37537386 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02156-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Yefeng Yang
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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