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Allometric degree distributions facilitate food-web stability

Author

Listed:
  • Sonja B. Otto

    (Darmstadt University of Technology, Schnittspahnstrasse 10, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany)

  • Björn C. Rall

    (Darmstadt University of Technology, Schnittspahnstrasse 10, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany)

  • Ulrich Brose

    (Darmstadt University of Technology, Schnittspahnstrasse 10, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
    Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab, Berkeley, California 94703, USA)

Abstract

Body size and diversity Maintaining global biodiversity is dependent on understanding which parameters influence food-web stability and how groups of species respond to their variation. Data from food chains involving three invertebrate species across five natural food webs — one from a stream, one from a pond, one from a lake, one terrestrial and one marine — reveal how body-mass ratios between consumer species and their resources allow species coexistence. Empirical body-mass ratios of species in these natural networks are consistent with the predictions of a bioenergetic consumer-resource model. Thus, simple relationships between body sizes and food-web structures may determine food-web stability.

Suggested Citation

  • Sonja B. Otto & Björn C. Rall & Ulrich Brose, 2007. "Allometric degree distributions facilitate food-web stability," Nature, Nature, vol. 450(7173), pages 1226-1229, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:450:y:2007:i:7173:d:10.1038_nature06359
    DOI: 10.1038/nature06359
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Xinhe & Wang, Zhen, 2022. "Bifurcation and propagation dynamics of a discrete pair SIS epidemic model on networks with correlation coefficient," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 435(C).
    2. Lin, Yangchen & Sutherland, William J., 2013. "Color and degree of interspecific synchrony of environmental noise affect the variability of complex ecological networks," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 263(C), pages 162-173.
    3. Borrett, Stuart R. & Moody, James & Edelmann, Achim, 2014. "The rise of Network Ecology: Maps of the topic diversity and scientific collaboration," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 293(C), pages 111-127.
    4. Fujiwara, Masami, 2016. "Incorporating demographic diversity into food web models: Effects on community structure and dynamics," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 322(C), pages 10-18.
    5. González, Cecilia, 2023. "Evolution of the concept of ecological integrity and its study through networks," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 476(C).
    6. Wang, Xinhe & Lu, Junwei & Wang, Zhen & Li, Yuxia, 2020. "Dynamics of discrete epidemic models on heterogeneous networks," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 539(C).
    7. Kokkonen, Eevi & Kuisma, Mikael & Hyvärinen, Pekka & Vainikka, Anssi & Vuorio, Kristiina & Perälä, Tommi & Härkönen, Laura S. & Estlander, Satu & Kuparinen, Anna, 2024. "Effects of top predator re-establishment and fishing on a simulated food web: Allometric Trophic Network model for Lake Oulujärvi," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 492(C).
    8. Timothée Poisot & Sonia Kéfi & Serge Morand & Michal Stanko & Pablo A Marquet & Michael E Hochberg, 2015. "A Continuum of Specialists and Generalists in Empirical Communities," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-12, May.

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