Ecological networks - Beyond food webs

Ecological networks - Beyond food webs

dc.date	2009
dc.date.accessioned	2012-02-23T04:17:03Z
dc.date.available	2012-02-23T04:17:03Z
dc.date.issued	2012-02-23
dc.description.abstract	1. A fundamental goal of ecological network research is to understand how the complexity observed in nature can persist and how this affects ecosystem functioning. This is essential for us to be able to predict, and eventually mitigate, the consequences of increasing environmental perturbations such as habitat loss, climate change, and invasions of exotic species. 2. Ecological networks can be subdivided into three broad types: 'traditional' food webs, mutualistic networks and host-parasitoid networks. There is a recent trend towards cross-comparisons among network types and also to take a more mechanistic, as opposed to phenomenological, perspective. For example, analysis of network configurations, such as compartments, allows us to explore the role of co-evolution in structuring mutualistic networks and host-parasitoid networks, and of body size in food webs. 3. Research into ecological networks has recently undergone a renaissance, leading to the production of a new catalogue of evermore complete, taxonomically resolved, and quantitative data. Novel topological patterns have been unearthed and it is increasingly evident that it is the distribution of interaction strengths and the configuration of complexity, rather than just its magnitude, that governs network stability and structure. 4. Another significant advance is the growing recognition of the importance of individual traits and behaviour: interactions, after all, occur between individuals. The new generation of high-quality networks is now enabling us to move away from describing networks based on species-averaged data and to start exploring patterns based on individuals. Such refinements will enable us to address more general ecological questions relating to foraging theory and the recent metabolic theory of ecology. 5. We conclude by suggesting a number of 'dead ends' and 'fruitful avenues' for future research into ecological networks.	es
dc.format	PDF	es
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Animal Ecology, Vol.78, N°1, 253-269, 2009	es
dc.identifier.doi	10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01460.x	es
dc.identifier.uri	https://repositoriodigital.uct.cl/handle/10925/659
dc.language.iso	en	es
dc.source	Journal of Animal Ecology	es
dc.subject	Ecología	es
dc.subject	Cadena alimentaria	es
dc.subject	Ecosistemas	es
dc.title	Ecological networks - Beyond food webs	es
dc.type	Artículo de Revista	es
uct.carrera	Ingeniería Civil Ambiental	es
uct.carrera	Ingeniería en Recursos Naturales Renovables	es
uct.catalogador	FGE	es
uct.comunidad	Recursos Naturales	es
uct.facultad	Facultad de Recursos Naturales	es
uct.indizacion	ISI	es