Research strategy in the plant sciences

The nature of science and of scientific progress is discussed, with special reference to the role of mathematics, and the existence in biology of hierarchical organization and levels of description. A distinction is made between a description of a phenomenon, and an understanding of that phenomenon; if mathematics is applicable, this is reflected in the use of an empirical or a mechanistic model. Reductionism is considered in relation to alternative viewpoints, and some examples from cell biology and plant physiology of problems where reductionism alone may be leading to difficulties, are discussed. A possibly more effective research strategy is suggested.