Rethinking ‘Big Data’: Small Datasets, Big Ecological Insights
You don’t always need massive datasets to learn something important about nature. A recent study carried out, in part, by one of our collaborators Dr. Robert Hanner shows that even with limited data, we can still uncover valuable patterns—especially when it comes to how fish respond to changes in their environment.
The location of the four sampling sites; Big Creek, East Medway, Upper Medway, and Wigle Creek. Upper Medway and East Medway are in the upper portion of the Lake Erie basin while Big Creek and Wigle Creek are in the lower portion. Map from Bonk et al.
The paper, published in the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes, examined four stream sites with altered habitat conditions, collecting data on fish species and 15 habitat variables. They found that certain fish species preferred certain habitat features, and some species seemed to either help or compete with others. While the total amount of fish (by weight) didn’t differ much between the sites, the types of fish and their individual success did—some thrived, while others declined.
What’s driving these shifts? It turns out that changes in habitat don’t just affect individual species; they shake up the whole community. Species respond differently depending on their needs and interactions with others, like rivals or allies.
The big takeaway? Even small or “messy” datasets can reveal meaningful trends about how ecosystems work—especially in the face of human-caused changes.
Bonk, E.A., Hanner, R.H., Bartlett, A.J. et al. Fish community responses to habitat alteration: Interactions, biomass shifts, and the value of imperfect data. Environ Biol Fish (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-025-01705-8