Fundamental ecology is fundamental Franck Courchamp, Jennifer A. Dunne, Yvon Le Maho, Robert M. May, Christophe Thébaud, Michael E. Hochberg  Trends in Ecology & Evolution  Volume 30, Issue 1, Pages 9-16 (January 2015) DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.11.005 Copyright © 2014 The Authors Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 A conceptual model showing the links between different types of scientific research (Box 1). The width of the curved arrows is an indication of the importance of the transfers between research types. For example, fundamental research is the main basis of applied research, but outcomes of applied research may fuel, in turn, new studies in fundamental research. Similarly, transfers from fundamental research to development research are often called ‘translational research’; the reverse results in innovative scientific equipment and technologies that can, in turn, open new lines of fundamental research. The green arrows indicate gains for society; yellow arrows represent relative funding [OECD (2012) Research and development statistics: R&D expenditure by sector of performance and type of R&D. OECD Science, Technology and R&D Statistics (http://www.oecd.org/statistics/)] based on average funding for the past 10 years in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 2015 30, 9-16DOI: (10.1016/j.tree.2014.11.005) Copyright © 2014 The Authors Terms and Conditions