{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T14:58:49Z","timestamp":1787324329222,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,10]],"date-time":"2026-05-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778371200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,10]],"date-time":"2026-05-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778371200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Appl Plant Sci"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Premise<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Applied ecology can significantly influence policy decisions on environmental issues. Therefore, research in this field should be as transparent and reproducible as possible. Existing expertise from a broad range of disciplines should also be integrated into ecological research to allow researchers to maximize understanding of complex systems.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We illustrate how Pearl's causality can contribute to applied ecology. We demonstrate the implications of causal diagrams for assessing the effects of anthropogenic and abiotic factors in ecological systems, using\n                      <jats:italic>Myricaria germanica<\/jats:italic>\n                      in Italian river systems as an example. In particular, we showcase the interplay between explicit causal modeling and classical statistical techniques.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      In our example, we find that river channel width and riverbank protections are the most important factors affecting the survival of\n                      <jats:italic>M. germanica<\/jats:italic>\n                      juveniles in northern Italy. Other factors such as altitude and other human activity also impact\n                      <jats:italic>M. germanica<\/jats:italic>\n                      survival through channel width as a mediator.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We demonstrate that causal diagrams can be an effective new language for ecological research. The causal diagram highlights that integrating hydrological, historical, or anthropological data could strengthen understanding of\n                      <jats:italic>M. germanica<\/jats:italic>\n                      populations in river systems. This framework facilitates interdisciplinary research and realizes the full potential of ecological datasets.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/aps3.70056","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T05:10:52Z","timestamp":1778476252000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Pearl's causality for integrating ecological datasets: A case study on\n                    <i>Myricaria germanica<\/i>\n                    in northern Italy"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4242-1669","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kailin","family":"Weitk\u00e4mper","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Biology LMU University of Munich Menzinger Stra\u00dfe 67 M\u00fcnchen 80638 Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kilian","family":"R\u00fcckschlo\u00df","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Mathematics University of T\u00fcbingen Auf der Morgenstelle 10 T\u00fcbingen 72076 Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tommaso","family":"Sitzia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Padova, Viale dell'Universit\u00e0 16 Legnaro 35020 PD Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bruno","family":"Michielon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Padova, Viale dell'Universit\u00e0 16 Legnaro 35020 PD Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Silke","family":"Werth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Biology LMU University of Munich Menzinger Stra\u00dfe 67 M\u00fcnchen 80638 Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Felix","family":"Weitk\u00e4mper","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Artificial Intelligence German University of Digital Science Marlene\u2010Dietrich\u2010Allee 14 Potsdam 14482 Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_8_2_1","unstructured":"Akaike H.1973. 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