Answer
The hypotheses of Proximate causes are tested using the experimental method while the hypotheses of Ultimate causes are tested using the comparative method.
Work Step by Step
Many questions raised about animal life can be grouped into two categories.
1) Proximate or Immediate causes – Causes which explain biological systems at all levels of complexity.
2) Ultimate causes – The processes that have produced biological systems and their properties through evolutionary time.
The hypotheses of Proximate causes are tested using the experimental method while the hypotheses of Ultimate causes are tested using the comparative method.
Experimental sciences in biology include molecular biology, cell biology, endocrinology, immunology, physiology, developmental biology, and community ecology.
The comparative method in biology includes all levels of biological complexity including comparative biochemistry, molecular evolution, comparative cell biology, comparative anatomy, comparative physiology and behavior, and phylogenetic systematics.
