Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Uncertainty: Overview

Uncertainty: Overview

In analytical chemistry, we often perform repetitive measurements to detect and minimize inaccuracies caused by both determinate and indeterminate errors. Despite the cares we take, the presence of random errors means that repeated measurements almost never have exactly the same magnitude. The collective difference between these measurements - observed values - and the estimated or expected value is called uncertainty. Uncertainty is conventionally written after the estimated or expected value.

Ecological Disturbance

Ecological Disturbance

An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.

Propagation of Uncertainty from Random Error

Propagation of Uncertainty from Random Error

An experiment often consists of more than a single step. In this case, measurements at each step give rise to uncertainty. Because the measurements occur in successive steps, the uncertainty in one step necessarily contributes to that in the subsequent step. As we perform statistical analysis on these types of experiments, we must learn to account for the propagation of uncertainty from one step to the next. The propagation of uncertainty depends on the type of arithmetic operation performed on...

Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

Ecological Niches

Ecological Niches

All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.

Uncertainty: Confidence Intervals

Uncertainty: Confidence Intervals

The confidence interval is the range of values around the mean that contains the true mean. It is expressed as a probability percentage. The interpretation of a 95% confidence interval, for instance, is that the statistician is 95% confident that the true mean falls within the interval. The upper and lower limits of this range are known as confidence limits. The confidence limits for the true mean are estimated from the sample's mean, the standard deviation, and the statistical factor...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Three decades of classifying threatened species: lessons learned from and about the IUCN Red List criteria for quantifying extinction risk.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026

Same author

Nine changes needed to deliver a radical transformation in biodiversity measurement.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

From data to decisions: Toward a Biodiversity Monitoring Standards Framework.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Addressing environmental misperceptions for nature recovery.

Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology·2025

Same author

Policy principles for sustainable and just land systems.

Royal Society open science·2025

Same author

Improving detectability of illegal fishing activities across supply chains.

npj ocean sustainability·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations

Published on: September 16, 2015

Embracing uncertainty in applied ecology.

E J Milner-Gulland¹, K Shea²

¹Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK.

The Journal of Applied Ecology

|December 12, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Applied ecologists can improve decision-making by explicitly addressing uncertainty. Embracing models, decision theory, and experimental thinking helps avoid common pitfalls and supports effective environmental management.

Keywords:

adaptive management conservation decision theory epidemiology harvesting management strategy evaluation modelling pest management structured decision-making value of information

More Related Videos

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Published on: July 24, 2016

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling SAHM

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling SAHM

Published on: October 11, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations

Published on: September 16, 2015

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework

Published on: July 24, 2016

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling SAHM

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling SAHM

Published on: October 11, 2016

Area of Science:

Ecology
Environmental Management
Decision Science

Background:

Applied ecologists frequently encounter uncertainty, which impedes effective decision-making in management contexts.
Common pitfalls include ignoring uncertainty, focusing on minor uncertainties, over-reliance on models, and unclear objectives.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify and illustrate underutilized advances that can help applied ecologists manage uncertainty.
To provide practical recommendations for planning and executing research that supports environmental management.

Main Methods:

Integration of research insights and examples from diverse applied ecological fields.
Review of approaches to avoid uncertainty traps in ecological research and management.

Main Results:

Identified common uncertainty traps faced by applied ecologists.
Highlighted underused advances and recommended approaches such as embracing models, using decision theory, and experimental thinking.

Conclusions:

Applied ecologists can enhance their effectiveness in informing management by explicitly incorporating uncertainty into their approaches.
Adopting strategies like decision theory and realistic uncertainty assessment leads to more robust ecological management.