The methods actor: part 2

B is excited about the post-doc she just started. Her dissertation was in chemical ecology, examining nutrition and colony formation in colonial algae. She has joined a lab run by Clint, who is renowned for his research on competition. The centerpiece of his work is a long-term project examining the competitive ability of Boxov pandora, a common biennial herb. Despite her excitement, however, Beth has become a little worried about how she will fit in to the lab. The place seems tense, and a couple of the grad students have warned her not to get on Clint’s bad side. He may be a brilliant ecologist, but he has a reputation for holding grudges. Beth’s role in the project is twofold. First, she is to examine the project’s records of leaf miners, infestations of which may have shortterm effects on the herb’s fitness. As part of the main project, the lab has been digitally scanning leaves for several years, and has detailed records of leaf miner activity. They are interested in the association between the insects and competitive ability in B pandora. Second, Beth will begin an experiment to test whether infestations reduce the competitive ability of hosts, and to determine the role of chemical defense in the interaction. When she heads out with the field crew to learn the ropes, Andy, the head technician, tells her some something that surprises her. He says that they routinely remove stinging nettles, either by cutting or with a topical herbicide. When Beth asks why, Andy says that it has been done that way ever since the beginning of the project, and it makes life easier for the field crew. But she shouldn’t worry, because the removal doesn’t disturb any of the experimental B pandora. Once or twice a year they use the herbicide in an organized manner, and any other time nettles are found, they are cut out. Andy hasn’t ever spoken with Clint specifically about this, other than ordering the herbicide, but has simply continued doing what the previous head technician told him was the standard procedure. Beth is troubled by this information. Several times, in papers and in talks, Clint has emphasized that the significance of the project is enhanced because it is conducted in the “natural environment” of B pandora. Beth doesn’t recall him ever mentioning the removal of stinging nettles in any publication. Just outside the field site, nettles are irritatingly common. What if removing them altered the competitive relationships within the remaining community?