Spatial topologies affect local food web structure and diversity in evolutionary metacommunities

Area of Science:

• Theoretical ecology
• Eco-evolutionary dynamics
• Metacommunity ecology

Background:

• Predicting ecological responses to environmental change, especially habitat fragmentation, remains a challenge.
• Classical food-web models often neglect species adaptation and evolution.
• Integrating eco-evolutionary processes is crucial for understanding ecosystem dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply an eco-evolutionary model to predict responses to habitat fragmentation.
• To investigate the effects of habitat coupling and decoupling in multi-trophic metacommunities.
• To link metacommunity dynamics with community evolution models.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an eco-evolutionary model based on body mass and diet traits.
• Incorporated evolution through the introduction of related morphs, enabling self-organized network evolution.
• Simulated coupled and decoupled habitats in 2- and 4-habitat metacommunities.

Main Results:

• Observed rescue and source-sink effects in coupled habitats, influencing local selection pressures.
• Demonstrated that spatial conditions leave a 'fingerprint' on local food web structure.
• Found that habitat coupling increases top predator longevity and boosts local biodiversity.

Conclusions:

• Eco-evolutionary models provide a robust framework for predicting ecological shifts due to environmental changes.
• Habitat connectivity plays a significant role in shaping food web stability and biodiversity.
• The study highlights the interplay between spatial dynamics and evolutionary processes in metacommunities.