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Linking structure and function in food webs: maximization of different ecological functions generates distinct food
Jian D L Yen1, Reniel B Cabral2, Mauricio Cantor3
1School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.
The Journal of Animal Ecology
|January 11, 2016
Summary
Food web structure is more closely linked to ecosystem resilience than to ecosystem functioning (throughput). A novel genetic algorithm approach revealed distinct structures when maximizing different ecological functions.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Ecological modeling
Background:
- Trophic interactions shape ecosystem functioning, yet the relationship between food web structure and function is unclear.
- Consistent patterns in food web structure suggest potential regularities in ecosystem functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between food web structure and ecosystem functioning/resilience.
- To compare simulated food webs with empirical data using a genetic algorithm approach.
Main Methods:
- Simulated food webs using a genetic algorithm, optimizing for maximum throughput (ecosystem functioning) and robustness to secondary extinctions (ecosystem resilience).
- Compared structural metrics of simulated webs to empirical food webs.
- Analyzed the influence of connectance on the similarity between simulated and real food webs.
Main Results:
- Food webs maximizing robustness resembled real food webs at high connectance, but not at low connectance.
- Simulated food webs maximizing throughput or a combination of functions did not match real food webs.
- Maximizing different ecological functions resulted in distinct food web structures.
Conclusions:
- Ecosystem resilience appears to have a stronger influence on food web structure than ecosystem throughput.
- The genetic algorithm approach provides a versatile tool for exploring ecological hypotheses in complex food webs.
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