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Structural asymmetry and the stability of diverse food webs

Author

Listed:
  • Neil Rooney

    (University of Guelph)

  • Kevin McCann

    (University of Guelph)

  • Gabriel Gellner

    (University of Guelph)

  • John C. Moore

    (University of Northern Colorado)

Abstract

Untangling the influence of human activities on food-web stability and persistence is complex given the large numbers of species and overwhelming number of interactions within ecosystems. Although biodiversity has been associated with stability, the actual structures and processes that confer stability to diverse food webs remain largely unknown. Here we show that real food webs are structured such that top predators act as couplers of distinct energy channels that differ in both productivity and turnover rate. Our theoretical analysis shows that coupled fast and slow channels convey both local and non-local stability to food webs. Alarmingly, the same human actions that have been implicated in the loss of biodiversity also directly erode the very structures and processes that we show to confer stability on food webs.

Suggested Citation

  • Neil Rooney & Kevin McCann & Gabriel Gellner & John C. Moore, 2006. "Structural asymmetry and the stability of diverse food webs," Nature, Nature, vol. 442(7100), pages 265-269, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:442:y:2006:i:7100:d:10.1038_nature04887
    DOI: 10.1038/nature04887
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    Cited by:

    1. Kong, Xiangzhen & He, Wei & Liu, Wenxiu & Yang, Bin & Xu, Fuliu & Jørgensen, Sven Erik & Mooij, Wolf M., 2016. "Changes in food web structure and ecosystem functioning of a large, shallow Chinese lake during the 1950s, 1980s and 2000s," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 319(C), pages 31-41.
    2. Scotti, Marco & Bondavalli, Cristina & Bodini, Antonio, 2009. "Linking trophic positions and flow structure constraints in ecological networks: Energy transfer efficiency or topology effect?," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(21), pages 3070-3080.
    3. Malard, Julien J & Adamowski, Jan Franklin & Rojas Díaz, Marcela & Nassar, Jessica Bou & Anandaraja, Nallusamy & Tuy, Héctor & Arévalo-Rodriguez, Luís Andrés & Melgar-Quiñonez, Hugo Ramiro, 2020. "Agroecological food web modelling to evaluate and design organic and conventional agricultural systems," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 421(C).
    4. Raymond, Ben & Hosie, Graham, 2009. "Network-based exploration and visualisation of ecological data," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(5), pages 673-683.
    5. Endrédi, Anett & Senánszky, Vera & Libralato, Simone & Jordán, Ferenc, 2018. "Food web dynamics in trophic hierarchies," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 368(C), pages 94-103.
    6. Mathilde Chomel & Jocelyn M. Lavallee & Nil Alvarez-Segura & Elizabeth M. Baggs & Tancredi Caruso & Francisco Castro & Mark C. Emmerson & Matthew Magilton & Jennifer M. Rhymes & Franciska T. Vries & D, 2022. "Intensive grassland management disrupts below-ground multi-trophic resource transfer in response to drought," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Travers, M. & Shin, Y.-J. & Jennings, S. & Machu, E. & Huggett, J.A. & Field, J.G. & Cury, P.M., 2009. "Two-way coupling versus one-way forcing of plankton and fish models to predict ecosystem changes in the Benguela," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(21), pages 3089-3099.
    8. Sevim, Volkan & Rikvold, Per Arne, 2008. "Network growth with preferential attachment for high indegree and low outdegree," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 387(11), pages 2631-2636.
    9. Shamila Janakiraman & Sunnie Lee Watson & William R. Watson & Daniel P. Shepardson, 2021. "Exploring the Influence of Digital Games on Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours Based on the New Ecological Paradigm Scale: A Mixed-Methods Study in India," Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, , vol. 15(1), pages 72-99, March.

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