2024/02/29 by Hirokazu Toju, Sayaka S. Suzuki, Yuki G. Baba · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Plant and animal studies #Species Distribution and Climate Change
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae047
openalex publication_date 2024/02/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/22
The architecture of species interaction networks is a key factor determining the stability of ecological communities. However, the fact that ecological network architecture can change through time is often overlooked in discussions on community-level processes, despite its theoretical importance. By compiling a time-series community dataset involving 50 spider species and 974 Hexapoda prey species/strains, we quantified the extent to which the architecture of predator-prey interaction networks could shift across time points. We then developed a framework for finding species that could increase the flexibility of the interaction network architecture. Those "network coordinator" species are expected to promote the persistence of species-rich ecological communities by buffering perturbations in communities. Although spiders are often considered as generalist predators, their contributions to network flexibility vary greatly among species. We also found that detritivorous prey species can be cores of interaction rewiring, dynamically interlinking below-ground and above-ground community dynamics. We further found that the predator-prey interactions between those network coordinators differed from those highlighted in the standard network-analytical framework assuming static topology. Analyses of network coordinators will add a new dimension to our understanding of species coexistence mechanisms and provide platforms for systematically prioritizing species in terms of their potential contributions in ecosystem conservation and restoration.