Perturbations to trophic interactions and the stability of complex food webs.

ABSTRACT: The pattern of predator-prey interactions is thought to be a key determinant of ecosystem processes and stability. Complex ecological networks are characterized by distributions of interaction strengths that are highly skewed, with many weak and few strong interactors present. Theory suggests that this pattern promotes stability as weak interactors dampen the destabilizing potential of strong interactors. Here, we present an experimental test of this hypothesis and provide empirical evidence that the loss of weak interactors can destabilize communities in nature. We ranked 10 marine consumer species by the strength of their trophic interactions. We removed the strongest and weakest of these interactors from experimental food webs containing >100 species. Extinction of strong interactors pr

SUBMITTER: O'Gorman EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2726361 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature