A food web is a conceptual and graphical representation of trophic interactions within an ecological community, depicting how energy and biomass move through interconnected food chains. Nodes in a food web represent species or trophic groups, while links denote predation, herbivory, or other consumer–resource relationships. Food web analysis quantifies properties such as connectance, trophic levels, modularity, and stability, and is central to understanding ecosystem structure, dynamics, and resilience. It provides a framework for modeling top-down and bottom-up controls, indirect effects (e.g., trophic cascades), and responses of communities to perturbations such as species extinctions, invasions, and environmental change.
A new study published in the journal Oikos reveals for the first time the critical role polar bears play as carrion providers for Arctic species. Researchers from University of Manitoba and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 28, 2025
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Phytoplankton is an important component of the food-web and is predated by a wide variety of aquatic organisms, such as water fleas, copepods and fish. These microscopic algae also play a crucial role in Earth's climate, ...
Ecology
Oct 13, 2025
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Natural ecosystems are intricate webs where species can interact directly, like predators and prey, or influence one another through a chain of environmental effects. But can these indirect interactions be powerful enough ...
Evolution
Aug 27, 2025
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Researchers from Denmark, New Zealand, Australia, Spain and the U.S. have reconstructed the composition of phytoplankton communities around Antarctica over nearly three decades, the most comprehensive study of its kind to ...
Ecology
Aug 11, 2025
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Whales of all shapes and sizes play a significant role in the health of marine ecosystems. About 50% of the air humans breathe is produced by the ocean, thanks to phytoplankton and whale waste. The Whale Poop Loop is the ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 31, 2025
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A study led by Associate Professor Kelton McMahon at University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography has found that food webs on tropical reefs are more fragile than we once thought. Instead of being part of ...
Ecology
Jul 23, 2025
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Ecosystems are characterized by interconnected structure and functions. A study published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Casey Benkwitt at Lancaster University, United Kingdom and colleagues suggests that restoring ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2025
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Just how effective protected areas are at safeguarding habitats and the species that live within them is the focus of a new Swansea University study.
Plants & Animals
Jun 16, 2025
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