1 field investigation and observation. All ecological phenomena and processes can be found in the wild. Including field investigation and positioning observation. The contemporary remote sensing method is actually a new observation method. Greatly expanded the range of human perception.

2 experimental methods. From the physiological tradition of ecology. Experimental methods can be divided into field experiments and control experiments according to the control degree of experimental test factors.

3 Mathematical model. Since 1950s, the concept of system and the method of computational mathematics have penetrated into the field of ecological research. Since then, more and more scholars have used mathematical models to describe ecological phenomena and predict future trends. The mutual verification between the calculated results and the measured data is helpful to test the validity of the theory. People can also use electronic computers to carry out simulation experiments. Computer simulation has got rid of nature and scale.

In view of the limitations of in-situ experiments, it is easy to analyze the causal relationship in the system by changing the relevant parameters, and the calculation results can be tested on the spot. This not only greatly speeds up the research progress, but also opens up a broader research field.