Stochastic ecological network occupancy (SENO) models: a new tool for modeling ecological networks across spatial scales

Lafferty, Kevin D.; Dunne, Jennifer A.

doi:10.1007/s12080-010-0082-0

Cited by 17 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(75 reference statements)

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“…For example, the simplified model of colonization-extinction dynamics of equation (2) does not account for the dependence of predators on the presence of their prey [9][10][11] . Incorporating this prey dependence (Supplementary Methods) shows that the predator-prey ratio R can still increase with habitat isolation in a manner consistent with equation (3) for a range of habitat isolation values.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Explanations for such spatial variation in trophic structure are numerous: predators often have greater resource requirements [9][10][11] , larger body sizes 12 , smaller population sizes 13 and slower population growth rates 14 than species lower in the food web. Moreover, in some ecosystems, predators are poorer dispersers than their prey, making it less likely that they will colonize isolated habitats, let alone persist there 1,15 .…”

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Larval dispersal drives trophic structure across Pacific coral reefs

et al. 2014

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Top predators are a critical part of healthy ecosystems. Yet, these species are often absent from spatially isolated habitats leading to the pervasive view that fragmented ecological communities collapse from the top down. Here we study reef fish from coral reef communities across the Pacific Ocean. Our analysis shows that species richness of reef fish top predators is relatively stable across habitats that vary widely in spatial isolation and total species richness. In contrast, species richness of prey reef fish declines rapidly with increasing isolation. By consequence, species-poor communities from isolated islands have three times as many predator species per prey species as near-shore communities. We develop and test a colonization-extinction model to reveal how larval dispersal patterns shape this ocean-scale gradient in trophic structure.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Larval dispersal drives trophic structure across Pacific coral reefs

et al. 2014

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“…So we are left acknowledging that much more theory is needed to understand how complex interaction networks assemble and disassemble in spatially explicit landscapes. New frameworks are now in place to study the spatial emergence of interaction network complexity ( Lafferty and Dunne, 2010 ;Pillai et al, 2010 ).…”

Section: How Does Habitat Loss Per Se Cause the Disassembly Of Interamentioning

confidence: 99%

The disentangled bank: How loss of habitat fragments and disassembles ecological networks

Gonzalez

Rayfield

Lindo

2011

American J of Botany

126

101

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Habitat transformation is one of the leading causes of changes in biodiversity and the breakdown of ecosystem function and services. The impacts of habitat transformation on biodiversity are complex and can be difficult to test and demonstrate. Network approaches to biodiversity science have provided a powerful set of tools and models that are beginning to present new insight into the structural and functional effects of habitat transformation on complex ecological systems. We propose a framework for studying the ways in which habitat loss and fragmentation jointly affect biodiversity by altering both habitat and ecological interaction networks. That is, the explicit study of "networks of networks" is required to understand the impacts of habitat change on biodiversity. We conduct a broad review of network methods and results, with the aim of revealing the common approaches used by landscape ecology and community ecology. We find that while a lot is known about the consequences of habitat transformation for habitat network topology and for the structure and function of simple antagonistic and mutualistic interaction networks, few studies have evaluated the consequences for large interaction networks with complex and spatially explicit architectures. Moreover, almost no studies have been focused on the continuous feedback between the spatial structure and dynamics of the habitat network and the structure and dynamics of the interaction networks inhabiting the habitat network. We conclude that theory and experiments that tackle the ecology of networks of networks are needed to provide a deeper understanding of biodiversity change in fragmented landscapes.

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“…Each species subpopulation produces colonizers to establish new subpopulations in available patches at a rate c. Subpopulations of each species also suffer extinction locally within patches at a rate e. Long-term or equilibrium patch occupancy of each species is determined by the balance between patch colonization and extinction. Our metacommunity model is thus a spatially explicit version of an extended metapopulation patch-dynamic model (20), capable of tracking the patch occupancy of multiple species competing for habitat patches and feeding on each other within patches (14,15). This approach allows us to investigate the role of space in determining the equilibrium structural properties-specifically the network complexity and diversity-of spatial food webs assembled by colonization-extinction dynamics at the metacommunity scale.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Recently metacommunity theory has successfully invoked spatial processes such as dispersal to explain patterns of biological diversity from local to regional scales (8)(9)(10)(11). However, to date metacommunity theory has focused on communities structured by competitive interactions, and although attempts have been made to extend the approach to the study of simple trophic interactions (12,13), the study of larger, more complex trophic networks has largely remained-with rare exceptions (14,15)-outside its purview (2).…”

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confidence: 99%

Metacommunity theory explains the emergence of food web complexity

Pillai

Gonzalez

Loreau

2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

158

211

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Food webs are highly complex ecological networks, dynamic in both space and time. Metacommunity models are now at the core of unified theories of biodiversity, but to date they have not addressed food web complexity. Here we show that metacommunity theory can explain the emergence of species-rich food webs with complex network topologies. Our analysis shows that network branching in the food web is maximized at intermediate colonization rates and limited dispersal scales, which also leads to concomitant peaks in species diversity. Increased food web complexity and species diversity are made possible by the structural role played by network branches that are supported by omnivore and generalist feeding links. Thus, in contrast to traditional food web theory, which emphasizes the destabilizing effect of omnivory feeding in closed systems, metacommunity theory predicts that these feeding links, which are commonly observed in empirical food webs, play a critical structural role as food webs assemble in space. As this mechanism functions at the metacommunity level, evidence for its operation in nature will be obtained through multiscale surveys of food web structure. Finally, we apply our theory to reveal the effects of habitat destruction on network complexity and metacommunity diversity.spatial ecology | patch-dynamic models T he science of networks is deepening our understanding of biodiversity in complex ecosystems (1). Food webs are archetypal ecological networks that have important temporal and spatial dimensions crucial to their assembly and persistence (2). Spatial food web data reveal patterns of species interactions that are structured in space, and theory suggests that this spatial structure may underlie a general explanation of food web complexity (3-7). Recently metacommunity theory has successfully invoked spatial processes such as dispersal to explain patterns of biological diversity from local to regional scales (8-11). However, to date metacommunity theory has focused on communities structured by competitive interactions, and although attempts have been made to extend the approach to the study of simple trophic interactions (12, 13), the study of larger, more complex trophic networks has largely remained-with rare exceptions (14, 15)-outside its purview (2).The need for a general spatial theory of food webs is acute given current rates of biodiversity loss under global environmental change. Habitat destruction and fragmentation are changing not only species richness, but also the diversity and patterns of species interactions that link them in networks (16). Over time food webs disassemble in nonrandom patterns as the spatial network of interconnected patches of habitat is altered, eroded, and isolated (17). Shifts in food web interactions arising from spatial habitat compression also perturb the ecosystem functions at local and metacommunity scales (18). Efforts to restore functional food webs in fragmented landscapes will require an explicit theory of how food webs assemble and disassemble in space...

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Stochastic ecological network occupancy (SENO) models: a new tool for modeling ecological networks across spatial scales

Cited by 17 publications

References 75 publications

Larval dispersal drives trophic structure across Pacific coral reefs

Larval dispersal drives trophic structure across Pacific coral reefs

The disentangled bank: How loss of habitat fragments and disassembles ecological networks

Metacommunity theory explains the emergence of food web complexity

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