Meta-food-chains as a many-layer epidemic process on networks

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Network Theory
• Mathematical Biology

Background:

• Coevolving disease models share similarities with population ecology systems.
• Meta-food-web models describe species interactions across spatial networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze species colonization in spatial networks using a meta-food-web model.
• To develop an analytical method for computing species' degree distributions in colonized patches.
• To investigate the impact of network structure on species' maximum occupancy.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a meta-food-web model with a chain-like feeding interaction network.
• Developed an analytical framework to calculate degree distributions of colonized patches.
• Employed configuration model ensembles for spatial networks.

Main Results:

• An upper bound exists for the fraction of occupied patches, dependent on the network's mean degree.
• Optimal degree distributions for maximizing species occupancy were identified.
• Scale-free networks performed less effectively than homogeneous networks at higher mean degrees.

Conclusions:

• Species-specific optimal network structures exist, highlighting the complexity of food web dynamics.
• Findings offer insights for conservation ecology, particularly in designing protected area networks.
• Homogeneous network structures may be more beneficial for species distribution than scale-free ones in certain ecological contexts.