Zuk Marlene, Travisano Mike
Am Nat. 2018 Jul;192(1):1-9. doi: 10.1086/697508. Epub 2018 Apr 20.
Models are universal in science, both as theoretical formulations of reality and as model systems, representatives of other organisms. A recent paper on how scientists view the world divides our work into the mind, the lab, and the field and suggests that models must not be conflated with reality. But in practice, these distinctions are blurred. For example, are flour beetles a model system for other insects when their natural habitat is the same as the way they live in the lab? In addition, models can become restrictive when they are viewed as archetypes, making us overgeneralize about the world and ignoring meaningful variation. The study of sexual conflict in insects illustrates some of the pitfalls of relying on Drosophila as a model system for sexual selection. Microbes can be used as models for populations and communities and are essential parts of larger biological systems. Finally, some models are not meant to replicate the world but are worlds unto themselves in which diverse possibilities can be directly observed.
模型在科学中很普遍，既作为对现实的理论表述，也作为模型系统，即其他生物体的代表。最近一篇关于科学家如何看待世界的论文将我们的工作分为思维、实验室和实地三个方面，并指出模型绝不能与现实混为一谈。但在实践中，这些区别是模糊的。例如，当面粉甲虫的自然栖息地与它们在实验室中的生活方式相同时，它们对于其他昆虫来说是一个模型系统吗？此外，当模型被视为原型时，可能会变得具有局限性，使我们对世界过度概括并忽略有意义的变异。对昆虫性冲突的研究说明了将果蝇作为性选择模型系统的一些陷阱。微生物可以用作种群和群落的模型，并且是更大生物系统的重要组成部分。最后，一些模型并非旨在复制世界，而是自成一个世界，在其中可以直接观察到各种可能性。
