The Inverse Krogh Principle: All Organisms Are Worthy of Study
The Inverse Krogh Principle: All Organisms Are Worthy of Study
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DOI：
10.1086/721620
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发表时间：
2023-01-01
影响因子：
1.6
通讯作者：
Garland, Theodore
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Clark, Christopher J.;Hutchinson, John R.;Garland, Theodore
克劳夫的原理指出：“对于如此大量的问题，将会有一些或几个这样的动物可以最方便地进行研究。”先选择一个问题，然后再找到一个理想的有机体来研究它的缺点是，它不可避免地会让许多有机体被忽视。在这里，我们提倡逆克罗原理：所有的有机体都值得研究。逆Krogh原理和Krogh原理并不是对立的。相反，逆克罗原理强调了一个不同的研究起点：从一个生物单位开始，如生物体、支系或特定的生物体特征，然后寻找或创造易于处理的研究问题。即使是最难研究的物种也有可以被问到的研究问题：它属于生命之树的什么位置？它需要什么资源才能生存和繁殖？它与近亲有什么不同？它有独特的适应能力吗？Krogh方法和逆向Krogh方法是互补的，许多研究项目自然都包括这两种方法。选择研究物种的其他考虑因素包括极端物种、为系统发育分析提供信息的物种，以及当合适的物种不存在时创建模型。克罗逆原理也有缺陷。首先选择有机体的科学家可能会选择一个并不真正适合该有机体的研究问题，而资助机构很少为以有机体为中心的拨款提案提供资金。逆克罗原理并不要求所有的生物体都得到同等数量的研究关注。随着知识的不断积累，一些有机体--模型--将不可避免地对它们有更多的了解。相反，它敦促对生物多样性进行更广泛的搜索，以寻找研究问题的灵感来源和追求这些问题所需的动机。
Krogh's principle states, "For such a large number of problems there will be some animal of choice, or a few such animals, on which it can be most conveniently studied." The downside of picking a question first and then finding an ideal organism on which to study it is that it will inevitably leave many organisms neglected. Here, we promote the inverse Krogh principle: all organisms are worthy of study. The inverse Krogh principle and the Krogh principle are not opposites. Rather, the inverse Krogh principle emphasizes a different starting point for research: start with a biological unit, such as an organism, clade, or specific organism trait, then seek or create tractable research questions. Even the hardest-to-study species have research questions that can be asked of them: Where does it fall within the tree of life? What resources does it need to survive and reproduce? How does it differ from close relatives? Does it have unique adaptations? The Krogh and inverse Krogh approaches are complementary, and many research programs naturally include both. Other considerations for picking a study species include extreme species, species informative for phylogenetic analyses, and the creation of models when a suitable species does not exist. The inverse Krogh principle also has pitfalls. A scientist that picks the organism first might choose a research question not really suited to the organism, and funding agencies rarely fund organism-centered grant proposals. The inverse Krogh principle does not call for all organisms to receive the same amount of research attention. As knowledge continues to accumulate, some organisms-models-will inevitably have more known about them than others. Rather, it urges a broader search across organismal diversity to find sources of inspiration for research questions and the motivation needed to pursue them.