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Weak trophic interactions and the balance of nature

Author

Listed:
  • Kevin McCann

    (University of California)

  • Alan Hastings

    (University of California)

  • Gary R. Huxel

    (University of California)

Abstract

Ecological models show that complexity usually destabilizes food webs1,2, predicting that food webs should not amass the large numbers of interacting species that are in fact found in nature3,4,5. Here, using nonlinear models, we study the influence of interaction strength (likelihood of consumption of one species by another) on food-web dynamics away from equilibrium. Consistent with previous suggestions1,6, our results show that weak to intermediate strength links are important in promoting community persistence and stability. Weak links act to dampen oscillations between consumers and resources. This tends to maintain population densities further away from zero, decreasing the statistical chance that a population will become extinct (lower population densities are more prone to such chances). Data on interaction strengths in natural food webs7,8,9,10,11 indicate that food-web interaction strengths are indeed characterized by many weak interactions and a few strong interactions.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin McCann & Alan Hastings & Gary R. Huxel, 1998. "Weak trophic interactions and the balance of nature," Nature, Nature, vol. 395(6704), pages 794-798, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:395:y:1998:i:6704:d:10.1038_27427
    DOI: 10.1038/27427
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