Food web network models- a coastal lagoon case-study: Ria do Alvor (Algarve)
Why are food web networks important?
Ria alvor 2 (1).aviImportance of Food Web Networks
Food web networks allow not only to have a mental view of the network by symbolizing species (nodes) and predator-prey interactions (links between nodes) but also to analyse its properties and compare them to different ecosystems in order to search for universal features of food webs. The final objective is to understand how climate change and anthropological impacts can lead to instability of the food web and even generate cascading extinctions.
Coastal lagoon case-study: Ria do Alvor
Coastal lagoons are highly productive areas that act as habitat for many species, specially as a nursery for fishes and as a staging post for migratory birds. They are semi-enclosed coastal systems (SECS), separated from the ocean by sand barriers created by the deposition of sediments, and connected to the sea by restricted openings which can sometimes close and reduce the water exchange leading to eutrophication.
Ria do Alvor is a coastal lagoon located in the south of Portugal with a high biodiversity. Few studies have taken place in this valuable ecosystem, being this study the first one that gather information about its food web interactions.
Ria de Alvor.mp4
Properties of food web networks
The structural properties of food web networks allow to have the characteristics of each network and compare them to other ecosystems.
Normally, eighteen properties are calculated with the software Network3D, being all relevant for the understanding of the ecosystem
