instruments and tools for the wide range of life science specialties. For example, a medical
research laboratory and a marine biology field station might not use any of the same tools.
Tools such as a radiotelemetry device (Figure1.22), or a thermocycler (Figure1.23) and
even a fume hood (Figure1.24) are all biological equipment.
Figure 1.22: A radiotelemetry device used to track the movement of seals in the wild. ( 22 )Using Maps and Other Models
You use models for many purposes. A volcano model, is not the same as a volcano, but it
is useful for thinking about real volcanoes. We use street maps to represent where streets
are in relation to each other. A model of planets may show the relationship between the
positions of planets in space. Biologists use many different kinds of models to simulate real
events and processes. Models are often useful to explain observations and to make scientific
predictions.
Some models are used to show the relationship between different variables. For example, the
model inFigure26.4says that when there are few coyotes, there are lots of rabbits (left
side of the graph) and when there are only a few rabbits, there are lots of coyotes (right
side of the graph). You could make a prediction, based on this model, that removing all the
coyotes from this system would result in an increase in rabbits. That’s a prediction that can
be tested.