Species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption
Abstract Understanding the robustness of ecological networks against sustained species losses is paramount to devising effective biodiversity conservation strategies. To explore the impacts of species losses on network robustness (the capacity of food webs to withstand primary extinctions), we used...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Communications Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08396-y |
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| author | Merin Reji Chacko Camille Albouy Florian Altermatt Victor Boussange Martin Brändle Nina Farwig Martin M. Gossner Hsi-Cheng Ho Alain Joss Felix Neff Loïc Pellissier |
| author_facet | Merin Reji Chacko Camille Albouy Florian Altermatt Victor Boussange Martin Brändle Nina Farwig Martin M. Gossner Hsi-Cheng Ho Alain Joss Felix Neff Loïc Pellissier |
| author_sort | Merin Reji Chacko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Understanding the robustness of ecological networks against sustained species losses is paramount to devising effective biodiversity conservation strategies. To explore the impacts of species losses on network robustness (the capacity of food webs to withstand primary extinctions), we used a trophic metaweb of 7808 vertebrates, invertebrates and plants and 281,023 interactions across Switzerland. We inferred twelve regional multi-habitat food webs and simulated non-random species extinction scenarios on these webs, focusing on broad habitat types and regional species abundances. Here, we show that targeted removal of species associated with specific habitat types, particularly wetlands, resulted in greater network fragmentation and accelerated network collapse compared to random species removals. Networks were more vulnerable to the initial loss of common rather than rare species. These findings underscore the critical need for integrated conservation strategies maintaining a diverse mosaic of habitats in a landscape to mitigate the cascading effects of species loss. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e8be7c4823ae46f996e8fe852b8ac85f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2399-3642 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-e8be7c4823ae46f996e8fe852b8ac85f2025-08-20T03:45:34ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-07-018111410.1038/s42003-025-08396-ySpecies loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruptionMerin Reji Chacko0Camille Albouy1Florian Altermatt2Victor Boussange3Martin Brändle4Nina Farwig5Martin M. Gossner6Hsi-Cheng Ho7Alain Joss8Felix Neff9Loïc Pellissier10Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH ZürichInstitute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH ZürichDepartment of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyLand Change Science Unit, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLDepartment of Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of MarburgDepartment of Biology, Conservation Ecology, University of MarburgInstitute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH ZürichInstitute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan UniversityLand Change Science Unit, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLForest Entomology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLInstitute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH ZürichAbstract Understanding the robustness of ecological networks against sustained species losses is paramount to devising effective biodiversity conservation strategies. To explore the impacts of species losses on network robustness (the capacity of food webs to withstand primary extinctions), we used a trophic metaweb of 7808 vertebrates, invertebrates and plants and 281,023 interactions across Switzerland. We inferred twelve regional multi-habitat food webs and simulated non-random species extinction scenarios on these webs, focusing on broad habitat types and regional species abundances. Here, we show that targeted removal of species associated with specific habitat types, particularly wetlands, resulted in greater network fragmentation and accelerated network collapse compared to random species removals. Networks were more vulnerable to the initial loss of common rather than rare species. These findings underscore the critical need for integrated conservation strategies maintaining a diverse mosaic of habitats in a landscape to mitigate the cascading effects of species loss.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08396-y |
| spellingShingle | Merin Reji Chacko Camille Albouy Florian Altermatt Victor Boussange Martin Brändle Nina Farwig Martin M. Gossner Hsi-Cheng Ho Alain Joss Felix Neff Loïc Pellissier Species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption Communications Biology |
| title | Species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption |
| title_full | Species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption |
| title_fullStr | Species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption |
| title_full_unstemmed | Species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption |
| title_short | Species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption |
| title_sort | species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08396-y |
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