Biologists sometimes damage ecosystems in order to study them. For example, researchers have fogged rainforest trees with insecticides to search for undiscovered species that fall to the ground when poisoned. Others have deliberately added phosphates to natural lakes to study the eutrophication process. What is your ethical position on such studies? Should they be banned, or is the knowledge gained worth the harm they cause?

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The Answer of Biologists sometimes damage ecosystems in order to study them. For example, researchers have fogged rainforest trees with insecticides to search for undiscovered species that fall to the ground when poisoned. Others have deliberately added phosphates to natural lakes to study the eutrophication process. What is your ethical position on such studies? Should they be banned, or is the knowledge gained worth the harm they cause?

Biologists Sometimes Damage Ecosystems in Order to Study Them