Hello!
I'm currently starting my MSc Dissertation which focuses on wolves as ecosystem service (ES) providers. My plan is to do a meta-analysis to identify ES's provided by wolves, and then (potentially) interview a wolf expert on a few additional questions I have.
My main concern is that it's my first time doing a meta-analysis, and there doesn't seem to be a standardised meta-analysis method for research on carnivore species and the ES's they provide, so I'm just wondering if anyone with experience with wolves/carnivores or ecosystem services could offer any advice? Anyone with experiences in species-focused meta-analyses would be really useful too.
All the best,
Lucy
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Hi Lucy, thanks for sharing this ask for help: I have added it to our "Collaborate and help others" room to make sure our members are notified of this new content.
Linking in some other members here to help you get the support you need: Any thoughts @Magdalena , @Silvia Ribeiro , @Adam Roberts , @Alan Munro , @Rachel Stewart , @Jaima Smith ? Many thanks for your help!
Re Meta-analysis method, have a look here at @Alec Christie 's resources here.
Thank you Thirza! I really appreciate the help!
Hi Lucy,
General advice on synthesis and meta-analysis can be found here: https://environmentalevidence.org/information-for-authors/
Some carnivore examples of meta-analyses that I found on google scholar were: https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12420 and https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/local-hunting-of-carnivores-in-forested-africa-a-metaanalysis/69714D59961C234669C6D61D8BA62499 and https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12959. Not sure how good they are as the perceived 'quality' of meta-analyses varies a lot. There's this handbook too: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781400846184/html.
Good luck!
All the best,
Alec.
Thank you Alec! I did hear the meta-analyses can vary a lot, but thank you for sharing some examples. I really appreciate it.
I'm no expert in wolves but I read about this famous re-wilding case of wolves being re-introduced into a US park where they indirectly even changed the course of rivers, which would make them helping out with water provision as an ecosystem service. If I remember correctly, the wolves cause the deer to move higher up in the mountains where they are safer from the wolves because they can see them coming, which meant that the deer stopped eating trees in the valleys, which in turn stopped erosion.
Thank you Frank! I think there was a documentary or video on this called 'How Wolves Change Rivers'. It a really interesting case study.
Hi Lucy,
Havent done a lot on carnivores but did do a few sensitivity reviews for marine species. Definitely worth looking at standardised literature sift methods - keeps you on track and methodical with what papers you are reading and helps you to identify key search terms so you don't end up down a rabbit hole of going from one paper to the next which I have done plenty of times :)
Basically what I learnt to do was use different search places for scientific papers using key words. Saved ones that looked like the title and abstract were relevant.
Then went through them all and split them into most relevant (1) less relevant (2) and not really relevant (got rid of). Then you start with the ones in group 1 first and move onto group 2 until you feel you have enough evidence for your analysis/review
Thank you Lize! That's really useful advice!
Hi Lucy, be sure to check out this post from @Anish Banerjee about the ecosystem services of the wolves of Yellowstone as a case study here.