Milcu, Alexandru ORCID: 0000-0002-2889-1234, Puga-Freitas, Ruben, Ellison, Aaron M., Blouin, Manuel ORCID: 0000-0002-3928-9070, Scheu, Stefan, Freschet, Gregoire T., Rose, Laura ORCID: 0000-0003-4523-4145, Barot, Sebastien, Cesarz, Simone ORCID: 0000-0003-2334-5119, Eisenhauer, Nico ORCID: 0000-0002-0371-6720, Girin, Thomas, Assandri, Davide, Bonkowski, Michael, Buchmann, Nina ORCID: 0000-0003-0826-2980, Butenschoen, Olaf ORCID: 0000-0003-1866-9805, Devidal, Sebastien, Gleixner, Gerd ORCID: 0000-0002-4616-0953, Gessler, Arthur ORCID: 0000-0002-1910-9589, Gigon, Agnes, Greiner, Anna, Grignani, Carlo, Hansart, Amandine, Kayler, Zachary ORCID: 0000-0003-0090-7537, Lange, Markus, Lata, Jean-Christophe, Le Gaillard, Jean-Francois, Lukac, Martin ORCID: 0000-0002-8535-6334, Mannerheim, Neringa, Mueller, Marina E. H., Pando, Anne, Rotter, Paula, Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael, Seyhun, Rahme, Urban-Mead, Katherine, Weigelt, Alexandra, Zavattaro, Laura ORCID: 0000-0001-8199-7399 and Roy, Jacques (2018). Genotypic variability enhances the reproducibility of an ecological study. Nat. Ecol. Evol., 2 (2). S. 279 - 291. LONDON: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. ISSN 2397-334X

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Abstract

Many scientific disciplines are currently experiencing a 'reproducibility crisis' because numerous scientific findings cannot be repeated consistently. A novel but controversial hypothesis postulates that stringent levels of environmental and biotic standardization in experimental studies reduce reproducibility by amplifying the impacts of laboratory-specific environmental factors not accounted for in study designs. A corollary to this hypothesis is that a deliberate introduction of controlled systematic variability (CSV) in experimental designs may lead to increased reproducibility. To test this hypothesis, we had 14 European laboratories run a simple microcosm experiment using grass (Brachypodium distachyon L.) monocultures and grass and legume (Medicago truncatula Gaertn.) mixtures. Each laboratory introduced environmental and genotypic CSV within and among replicated microcosms established in either growth chambers (with stringent control of environmental conditions) or glasshouses (with more variable environmental conditions). The introduction of genotypic CSV led to 18% lower among-laboratory variability in growth chambers, indicating increased reproducibility, but had no significant effect in glasshouses where reproducibility was generally lower. Environmental CSV had little effect on reproducibility. Although there are multiple causes for the 'reproducibility crisis', deliberately including genetic variability may be a simple solution for increasing the reproducibility of ecological studies performed under stringently controlled environmental conditions.

Item Type: Journal Article
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCIDORCID Put Code
Milcu, AlexandruUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0002-2889-1234UNSPECIFIED
Puga-Freitas, RubenUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Ellison, Aaron M.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Blouin, ManuelUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0002-3928-9070UNSPECIFIED
Scheu, StefanUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Freschet, Gregoire T.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Rose, LauraUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0003-4523-4145UNSPECIFIED
Barot, SebastienUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Cesarz, SimoneUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0003-2334-5119UNSPECIFIED
Eisenhauer, NicoUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0002-0371-6720UNSPECIFIED
Girin, ThomasUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Assandri, DavideUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Bonkowski, MichaelUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Buchmann, NinaUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0003-0826-2980UNSPECIFIED
Butenschoen, OlafUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0003-1866-9805UNSPECIFIED
Devidal, SebastienUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Gleixner, GerdUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0002-4616-0953UNSPECIFIED
Gessler, ArthurUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0002-1910-9589UNSPECIFIED
Gigon, AgnesUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Greiner, AnnaUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Grignani, CarloUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Hansart, AmandineUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Kayler, ZacharyUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0003-0090-7537UNSPECIFIED
Lange, MarkusUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Lata, Jean-ChristopheUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Le Gaillard, Jean-FrancoisUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Lukac, MartinUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0002-8535-6334UNSPECIFIED
Mannerheim, NeringaUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Mueller, Marina E. H.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Pando, AnneUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Rotter, PaulaUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Scherer-Lorenzen, MichaelUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Seyhun, RahmeUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Urban-Mead, KatherineUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Weigelt, AlexandraUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Zavattaro, LauraUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0001-8199-7399UNSPECIFIED
Roy, JacquesUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
URN: urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-196639
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0434-x
Journal or Publication Title: Nat. Ecol. Evol.
Volume: 2
Number: 2
Page Range: S. 279 - 291
Date: 2018
Publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
Place of Publication: LONDON
ISSN: 2397-334X
Language: English
Faculty: Unspecified
Divisions: Unspecified
Subjects: no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:
KeywordsLanguage
MICROCOSMS; REPEATABILITY; TRANSPARENCY; BIODIVERSITY; MIXTURES; YIELDMultiple languages
Ecology; Evolutionary BiologyMultiple languages
Refereed: Yes
URI: http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/19663

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