A food web including parasites for kelp forests of the Santa Barbara Channel, California
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
We built a high-resolution topological food web for the kelp forests of the Santa Barbara Channel, California, USA that includes parasites and significantly improves resolution compared to previous webs. The 1,098 nodes and 21,956 links in the web describe an economically, socially, and ecologically vital system. Nodes are broken into life-stages, with 549 free-living life-stages (492 species from 21 Phyla) and 549 parasitic life-stages (450 species from 10 Phyla). Links represent three kinds of trophic interactions, with 9,352 predator-prey links, 2,733 parasite-host links and 9,871 predator-parasite links. All decisions for including nodes and links are documented, and extensive metadata in the node list allows users to filter the node list to suit their research questions. The kelp-forest food web is more species-rich than any other published food web with parasites, and it has the largest proportion of parasites. Our food web may be used to predict how kelp forests may respond to change, will advance our understanding of parasites in ecosystems, and fosters development of theory that incorporates large networks.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | A food web including parasites for kelp forests of the Santa Barbara Channel, California |
| Series title | Scientific Data |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41597-021-00880-4 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Year Published | 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Nature |
| Contributing office(s) | Western Ecological Research Center |
| Description | 99, 14 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Other Geospatial | Santa Barbara Channel |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |