What's in a tide pool? Just as much food web network complexity as in large open ecosystems.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the fundamental laws that govern complex food web networks over large ecosystems presents high costs and oftentimes unsurmountable logistical challenges. This way, it is crucial to find smaller systems that can be used as proxy food webs. Intertidal rock pool environments harbour particularly high biodiversity over small areas. This study aimed to analyse their food web networks to investigate their potential as proxies of larger ecosystems for food web networks research. Highly resolved food webs were compiled for 116 intertidal rock pools from cold, temperate, subtropical and tropical regions, to ensure a wide representation of environmental variability. The network properties of these food webs were compared to that of estuaries, lakes and rivers, as well as marine and ter

SUBMITTER: Mendonca V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6033428 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature