Human Impacts and Climate Change Influence Nestedness and Modularity in Food-Web and Mutualistic Networks.

ABSTRACT: Theoretical studies have indicated that nestedness and modularity-non-random structural patterns of ecological networks-influence the stability of ecosystems against perturbations; as such, climate change and human activity, as well as other sources of environmental perturbations, affect the nestedness and modularity of ecological networks. However, the effects of climate change and human activities on ecological networks are poorly understood. Here, we used a spatial analysis approach to examine the effects of climate change and human activities on the structural patterns of food webs and mutualistic networks, and found that ecological network structure is globally affected by climate change and human impacts, in addition to current climate. In pollination networks, for instance, nestedne

SUBMITTER: Takemoto K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4913940 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature