The assembly, collapse and restoration of food webs
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
By: Andy Dobson, Stefano Allesina, Kevin Lafferty, and Mercedes Pascual
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Abstract
Darwin chose the metaphor of a 'tangled bank' to conclude the 'Origin of species'. Two centuries after Darwin's birth, we are still untangling the complex ecological networks he has pondered. In particular, studies of food webs provide important insights into how natural ecosystems function (Pascual & Dunne 2005). Although the nonlinear interactions between many species creates challenges of scale, resolution of data and significant computational constraints, the last 10 years have seen significant advances built on the earlier classic studies of Cohen, May, Pimm, Polis, Lawton and Yodzis (May 1974; Cohen 1978; Pimm 1982; Briand & Cohen 1984, 1987; Yodzis 1989; Cohen et al. 1990; Pimm et al. 1991; Yodzis & Innes 1992; Yodzis 1998). These gains stem from advances in computing power and the collation of more comprehensive data from a broader array of empirical food webs.
Suggested Citation
Dobson, A., Allesina, S., Lafferty, K., Pascual, M., 2009, The assembly, collapse and restoration of food webs: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, v. 364, no. 1524, p. 1803-1806, https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2009.0002.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | The assembly, collapse and restoration of food webs |
| Series title | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
| DOI | 10.1098/rstb.2009.0002 |
| Volume | 364 |
| Issue | 1524 |
| Publication Date | June 27, 2009 |
| Year Published | 2009 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Royal Society Publishing |
| Publisher location | London, England |
| Contributing office(s) | Western Ecological Research Center |
| Description | 4 p. |
| First page | 1803 |
| Last page | 1806 |