I wrote a response to Rene Dechamps "What if all we had was Omniture and Google Analytics?" that (I'm guessing) will be appearing soon here.<UPDATE>
That blog no longer exists in its original form. The blog name is still there and it's no longer what I'd hoped it would be. All of my FutureOf contributions can now be found on TheAnalyticsEcology.
</UPDATE>
I answer Rene's question from a different background and perspective than that of other commentators because a) I don't have their background or perspective and 2) I've often discovered the more tools I apply to something the more likely I am to discover inadequacies in the original propositions.
In this case, what if we consider this a question of systems ecology, adaptive and evolutionary biology, environmental modeling, etc.?
I mention there that I'll provide a bibliography for interested readers here. This is a very partial bibliography of things I read over the month of preparing my comment. Feel free to contact me if you'd like a complete list. The references here are merely the highlights and probably give enough to get one going in the correct direction.
Enjoy.
1. Arrieta, R. 1997. From the Atacama to Makalu: A journey to extreme environments on Earth and beyond. Panama City, Fla.: Coqui? Press.2. Bascompte, J., P. Jordano, and J. M. Olesen. 2006. Asymmetric Coevolutionary Networks Facilitate Biodiversity Maintenance. Science 312(5772), 21 April:431–33. Http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/312/5772/431.
3. Bonner, J. T. 1988. The evolution of complexity by means of natural selection. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
4. Cantwell, A.-M., E. Friedlander, and M. L. Tramm, eds. 2000. Ethics and anthropology: Facing future issues in human biology, globalism, and cultural property. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 925. New York: New York Academy of Sciences.
5. Costello, C., S. D. Gaines, and J. Lynham. 2008. Can Catch Shares Prevent Fisheries Collapse? Science 321(5896), 19 September:1678–81. Http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/321/5896/1678.
6. Craw, R. C., J. R. Grehan, and M. J. Heads. 1999. Panbiogeography: Tracking the history of life. New York: Oxford University Press.
7. Davidson, E. H., and D. H. Erwin. 2006. Gene Regulatory Networks and the Evolution of Animal Body Plans. Science 311(5762), 2 February:796–800. UR - http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/5762/796.
8. Dornelas, M., S. R. Connolly, and T. P. Hughes. 2006. Coral reef diversity refutes the neutral theory of biodiversity. Nature 440(7080), 2 March:80–82. Http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v440/n7080/suppinfo/nature04534_S1.html.
9. E. G. LEIGH, J., G. J. VERMEIJ. 2009. What do human economies, large islands and forest fragments reveal about the factors limiting ecosystem evolution? Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(1):1–12. Http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1420–9101.2008.01624.x.
10. Elias, M., Z. Gompert, C. Jiggins, and K. Willmott. 2008. Mutualistic Interactions Drive Ecological Niche Convergence in a Diverse Butterfly Community. PLoS Biology 6(12), December:e300 OP. Http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0060300.
11. Engelkes, T., et al. 2008. Successful range-expanding plants experience less above-ground and below-ground enemy impact. Nature 456(7224), 18 December:946–48. Http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v456/n7224/suppinfo/nature07474_S1.html.
12. Gladyshev, E. A., M. Meselson, and I. R. Arkhipova. 2008, 30 May. Massive Horizontal Gene Transfer in Bdelloid Rotifers. Science 320(5880):1210–13. Http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/320/5880/1210.
13. Gotelli, N. J., and A. M. Ellison. 2006. Food-Web Models Predict Species Abundances in Response to Habitat Change. PLoS Biology 4(10), October:1869–73. Http://biology.plosjournals.org/archive/1545–7885/4/10/pdf/10.1371_journal.pbio.0040324-L.pdf.
14. Gurerk, O., B. Irlenbusch, and B. Rockenbach. 2006, 7 April. The Competitive Advantage of Sanctioning Institutions. Science 312(5770):108–11. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/312/5770/108.
15. Harris, M. 1977. Cannibals and kings: The origins of cultures. New York: Random House.
16. Henrich, J. 2006. SOCIAL SCIENCE: Enhanced: Cooperation, Punishment, and the Evolution of Human Institutions. Science 312(5770), 7 April:60–61.
17. Holland, M. D., and A. Hastings. 2008. Strong effect of dispersal network structure on ecological dynamics. Nature 456(7223), 11 December:792–94. Http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v456/n7223/pdf/nature07395.pdf.
18. K. THEODOROU, H. S., D. COUVET. 2009. Metapopulation persistence in fragmented landscapes: Significant interactions between genetic and demographic processes. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(1):152–62. Http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1420–9101.2008.01634.x.
19. McMahon, T. A., and J. T. Bonner. 1983. On size and life. New York: Scientific American Library: Distributed by W.H. Freeman.
20. Moore, P. D. 2006. Green and pleasant trials. Nature 440(7084), 30 March:613–14. Http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v440/n7084/pdf/440613a.pdf.
21. Oosterzee, P. v. 1997. Where worlds collide: The Wallace line. Kew, Vic.: Reed.
22. Pál, C., et al. 2006. Chance and necessity in the evolution of minimal metabolic networks. Nature 440(7084), 3 March:667–70. Http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v440/n7084/suppinfo/nature04568_S1.html.
23. R. CALSBEEK. 2009. Experimental evidence that competition and habitat use shape the individual fitness surface. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(1):97–108. Http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1420–9101.2008.01625.x.
24. Read, A. F., A. L. Graham, Rå, and L. berg. 2008. Animal Defenses against Infectious Agents: Is Damage Control More Important Than Pathogen Control. PLoS Biology 6(12), December:e4 OP. Http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000004.
25. Richerson, P. J., and R. Boyd. 2008. Being human: Migration: An engine for social change. Nature 456(7224), 18 December:877–77.
26. Salganik, M. J., P. S. Dodds, and D. J. Watts. 2006. Experimental Study of Inequality and Unpredictability in an Artificial Cultural Market. Science 311(5762), 2002 October:854–56. Http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/311/5762/854.pdf.
27. Smith, J. M. 1998. Evolutionary genetics. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.
28. Suzuki, Y., and H. F. Nijhout. 2006, 3 February. Evolution of a Polyphenism by Genetic Accommodation. Science 311(5761):650–52. Http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/311/5761/650.pdf.
29. Volz, E., and L. A. Meyers. 2007, 7 December. Susceptible-infected-recovered epidemics in dynamic contact networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274(1628):2925–33. Http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.1159.
30. Whitfield, J. 2006. Origins of DNA: Base invaders. Nature 439(7073), 12 January:130–31.
31. Williams, S. E., et al. 2008. Towards an Integrated Framework for Assessing the Vulnerability of Species to Climate Change. PLoS Biology 6(12), December:e325 OP. Http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0060325.
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