A Network Approach to Aquatic Food Web Dynamics

Network-based methods have gained significant popularity in ecological research over recent decades. However, network analysis seems to have been restricted mostly to some specific interactions, such as plant-pollinators or host-parasites, with food webs receiving less attention. Food webs represent feeding interactions among species in a habitat revealing how species depend on each another for survival. As such, they are essential for understanding ecosystems and predicting their evolution. Among food webs, aquatic habitats are considered one of the most vulnerable ecosystems, primarily due to factors such as climate change and the introduction of non-native species. Understanding the robustness of these networks to species removal and identifying pivotal nodes is essential to mitigate the risk of key species extinction and preserve ecosystem stability.