Using food network unfolding to evaluate food–web complexity in terms of biodiversity: theory and applications |
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| Authors: | Yoshikazu Kato Michio Kondoh Naoto F. Ishikawa Hiroyuki Togashi Yukihiro Kohmatsu Mayumi Yoshimura Chikage Yoshimizu Takashi F. Haraguchi Yutaka Osada Nobuhito Ohte Naoko Tokuchi Noboru Okuda Takeshi Miki Ichiro Tayasu |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan;2. Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan;3. Faculty of Science and Technology, Ryukoku University, Seta Oe‐cho, Shiga, Japan;4. Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan;5. Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Shiogama, Miyagi, Japan;6. Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan;7. Research Center for Pan‐Pacific Civilizations, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan;8. Research Planning and Coordination Department, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tukuba, Japan;9. Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Kyoto, Japan;10. Department of Social Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan;11. Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;12. Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan;13. Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan |
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| Abstract: | Food–web complexity often hinders disentangling functionally relevant aspects of food–web structure and its relationships to biodiversity. Here, we present a theoretical framework to evaluate food–web complexity in terms of biodiversity. Food network unfolding is a theoretical method to transform a complex food web into a linear food chain based on ecosystem processes. Based on this method, we can define three biodiversity indices, horizontal diversity (DH), vertical diversity (DV) and range diversity (DR), which are associated with the species diversity within each trophic level, diversity of trophic levels, and diversity in resource use, respectively. These indices are related to Shannon's diversity index (H′), where H′ = DH + DV ? DR. Application of the framework to three riverine macroinvertebrate communities revealed that D indices, calculated from biomass and stable isotope features, captured well the anthropogenic, seasonal, or other within‐site changes in food–web structures that could not be captured with H′ alone. |
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| Keywords: | Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio ecosystem functioning food network unfolding species diversity trophic level trophic position trophic pyramid |
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