Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Scale invariance in food web properties.

G Sugihara1, K Schoenly, A Trombla

  • 1Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|July 7, 1989
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Dynamics of heterotrophic succession in carrion arthropod assemblages: discrete seres or a continuum of change?

Oecologia·2017
Same author

Can we predict burnout severity from empathy-related brain activity?

Translational psychiatry·2014
Same author

Renaming schizophrenia coupled with proper public education is an optimal way to overcome stigma.

Psychological medicine·2013
Same author

Applications of fractals in ecology.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2011
Same author

Resolution of D- and L-glucoses by chiral N-octyl-beta-D-glycoside-Cu(II) complex adsorbed at the gas/liquid interface of small bubbles.

Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces·2010
Same author

Serum levels of P-selectin in men with high-functioning autism.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2008

Food web properties remain consistent even when data resolution is reduced. This finding supports the reliability of food web analysis across different data scales.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Theoretical Ecology
  • Food Web Dynamics

Background:

  • Food web theory relies on detailed ecological data.
  • Critics question if food web properties are sensitive to data resolution (trophic aggregation).
  • Understanding robustness is key to validating food web models.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the robustness of five common food web properties.
  • To determine if these properties remain constant despite varying data resolution.
  • To address concerns about the sensitivity of food web metrics to trophic aggregation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 60 invertebrate-dominated community food webs.
  • Systematic aggregation of trophic groupings to reduce data resolution.
  • Examination of five key food web statistics: chain length, predator/prey ratio, fraction of top/intermediate/bottom species, and rigid circuits.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Five common food web properties exhibited surprising constancy when data resolution was reduced by up to 50%.
  • All but one of the examined properties were confirmed in aggregated food webs.
  • Food web statistics were found to be scaling, remaining invariant across a wide range of data resolutions.

Conclusions:

  • Observed food web properties are robust to trophic aggregation within a factor of 2.
  • The findings address a common criticism of food web theory regarding data resolution sensitivity.
  • Validated food web statistics can be reliably used for comparing ecosystems with differing data resolution.