Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Ecological Niches

Ecological Niches

All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.Multiple species cannot occupy the exact same niche within their habitat. If the niches of two or more species overlap to a large extent, the competitive exclusion principle dictates that one species will outcompete the other, forcing it to...

Trophic Levels

Trophic Levels

All organisms in an ecosystem occupy a trophic level in the food chain. The lowest level consists of primary producers, which synthesize their food from either solar or chemical energy. Each subsequent level obtains energy from the levels below. Detritivores can occupy any of the levels above primary producers.

Trophic Efficiency

Trophic Efficiency

Trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) is a measure of the total energy transfer from one trophic level to the next. Due to extensive energy loss as metabolic heat, an average of only 10% of the original energy obtained is passed on to the next level. This pattern of energy loss severely limits the possible number of trophic levels in a food chain.

Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

Ecological Niche

Ecological Niche

Microorganisms occupy diverse habitats and perform essential ecological functions that are defined by their ecological niches. A microbial niche encompasses the organism’s mode of survival, including resource acquisition, reproduction, and interactions with other species in its environment. This concept is vital for understanding microbial community dynamics, biogeography, and ecosystem functionality.The fundamental niche of a microorganism includes the full spectrum of environmental...

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Generalized epidemic model incorporating non-Markovian infection processes and waning immunity.

Physical review. E·2023

Same author

Influence of heterogeneous age-group contact patterns on critical vaccination rates for herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

Scientific reports·2022

Same author

Robustness of behaviorally induced oscillations in epidemic models under a low rate of imported cases.

Physical review. E·2020

Same author

A multilayer temporal network model for STD spreading accounting for permanent and casual partners.

Scientific reports·2020

Same author

Tuning the overlap and the cross-layer correlations in two-layer networks: Application to a susceptible-infectious-recovered model with awareness dissemination.

Physical review. E·2018

Same author

Oscillations in epidemic models with spread of awareness.

Journal of mathematical biology·2017

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers

Published on: October 5, 2017

Food-web complexity emerging from ecological dynamics on adaptive networks.

Josep L Garcia-Domingo¹, Joan Saldaña

¹Dept. Informàtica i Matemàtica Aplicada, Universitat de Girona, E-17071 Girona, Spain.

Journal of Theoretical Biology

|May 22, 2007

Summary

Ecological food webs show complex relationships between network complexity and persistence. Adaptive predation dynamics can explain observed patterns, challenging previous findings on the cascade model.

More Related Videos

Divergence of Root Microbiota in Different Habitats based on Weighted Correlation Networks

Divergence of Root Microbiota in Different Habitats based on Weighted Correlation Networks

Published on: September 25, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers

Published on: October 5, 2017

Divergence of Root Microbiota in Different Habitats based on Weighted Correlation Networks

Divergence of Root Microbiota in Different Habitats based on Weighted Correlation Networks

Published on: September 25, 2021

Area of Science:

Ecology
Theoretical Ecology
Network Theory

Background:

Food webs are complex networks detailing trophic interactions within ecological communities.
The complexity-stability debate, initiated by Robert May, questions whether increased network complexity enhances or diminishes food-web persistence.
Previous studies suggested a positive correlation between food web complexity and persistence, particularly within the cascade model framework.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between food web complexity and persistence using a multi-species predator-prey model.
To determine the impact of adaptive predation dynamics on food web topology and stability.
To re-evaluate the complexity-persistence relationship, especially concerning the cascade and niche models.

Main Methods:

A multi-species predator-prey model was developed, incorporating adaptive predation.
Food web initial configurations were generated using both the cascade model and the niche model.
The study analyzed the effects of ecological dynamics on food web topology and species persistence.

Main Results:

The presence of a significant fraction of adaptive predators led to hyperbolic complexity-persistence relationships, mirroring empirical observations.
The study demonstrated that ecological dynamics can alter food web topology, influencing persistence.
The previously observed positive complexity-persistence relation in the cascade model was found to disappear when using the final, rather than the initial, food web configuration.

Conclusions:

Adaptive predation is a crucial factor in shaping food web structure and stability.
The dynamics of ecological interactions, not just initial network structure, are key to understanding food web persistence.
Re-evaluation of complexity-persistence relationships is necessary, considering the impact of ecological dynamics and using appropriate network configurations.