reviewEcology LettersJan 1, 2025Closed access

Foundations and Future Directions for Causal Inference in Ecological Research

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences · University of Colorado Boulder

PubMed
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Abstract

Ecology often seeks to answer causal questions, and while ecologists have a rich history of experimental approaches, novel observational data streams and the need to apply insights across naturally occurring conditions pose opportunities and challenges. Other fields have developed causal inference approaches that can enhance and expand our ability to answer ecological causal questions using observational or experimental data. However, the lack of comprehensive resources applying causal inference to ecological settings and jargon from multiple disciplines creates barriers. We introduce approaches for causal inference, discussing the main frameworks for counterfactual causal inference, how causal inference…

Citation impact

52
total citations
FWCI
107.46
Percentile
100%
References
207
Citations per year

Authors

2

Topics & keywords

Keywords
  • Causal inference
  • Inference
  • Counterfactual thinking
  • Data science
  • Computer science
  • Ecology
  • Causal model
  • Observational study
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