Food-web complexity, consumer behavior, and diet specialism: impacts on ecosystem stability

Ecological stability is a fundamental aspect of food web dynamics. In this study, we explore the factors influencing stability in complex ecological networks, characterizing it through biomass oscillations and species persistence. Using an Extended Niche model, we generate diverse food web structures and investigate the effects of intraspecific consumer interference, network size, connectance, and diet specialism on stability. Our findings reveal that intraspecific consumer interference plays a pivotal role in shaping stability. Higher interference results in stable dynamics, reducing oscillations and extinctions. Additionally, differences emerge between food webs comprised of invertebrate consumers and those of ectotherm vertebrates, with the latter showing higher oscillations. Network size and connectance also influence stability, where larger and more connected webs tend to exhibit reduced oscillations. Overall, our study sheds light on the complex interplay of factors affecting ecological stability in food webs. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12080-024-00580-w.