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Weighting and indirect effects identify keystone species in food webs

AbstractSpecies extinctions are accelerating globally, yet the mechanisms that maintain local biodiversity remain poorly understood. The extinction of species that feed on or are fed on by many others (i.e. ‘hubs’) has traditionally been thought to cause the greatest threat of further biodiversity loss. Very little attention has been paid to the strength of those feeding links (i.e. link weight) and the prevalence of indirect interactions. Here, we used a dynamical model based on empirical energy budget data to assess changes in ecosystem stability after simulating the loss of species according to various extinction scenarios. Link weight and/or indirect effects had stronger effects on food‐web stability than the simple removal of ‘hubs’, demonstrating that both quantitative fluxes and species dissipating their effects across many links should be of great concern in biodiversity conservation, and the potential for ‘hubs’ to act as keystone species may have been exaggerated to date.
- Colorado State University System United States
- Queen Mary University of London United Kingdom
- University of North Carolina Wilmington United States
- Colorado State University Pueblo United States
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill United States
570, Conservation of Natural Resources, Food Chain, Ecology, 0602 Ecology, quantitative food web, sequential deletion, 590, secondary extinction, centrality, robustness, Extinction, Biological, Models, Biological, 0501 Ecological Applications, species loss, Species Specificity, energy budget, Letters, Carbon flux
570, Conservation of Natural Resources, Food Chain, Ecology, 0602 Ecology, quantitative food web, sequential deletion, 590, secondary extinction, centrality, robustness, Extinction, Biological, Models, Biological, 0501 Ecological Applications, species loss, Species Specificity, energy budget, Letters, Carbon flux
citations This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).57 popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.Top 10% influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).Top 10% impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.Top 10%
