This argument will, however, only be correct if there has been adequate previous
study to demonstrate the general validity (from area to area of the world and
from time to time) of the notion that numbers of worms vary naturally by tens to
hundreds per metre. It is not usually the case that sufficient information of this type
is available. It is, in fact, often the case that previous studies were not replicated
at appropriate spatial scales to justify reaching such general conclusions. If such
an argument is to be used, it is, therefore, essential to provide the details of the
previous studies that might justify it. Often, it is more efficient (and always more
valid scientifically, because it does not depend on inductive inferences) to use
appropriate replication in any new study.