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How biotic interactions structure species' responses to perturbations.
- Source :
-
Proceedings. Biological sciences [Proc Biol Sci] 2024 Oct; Vol. 291 (2032), pp. 20240930. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Oct 09. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Predicting how ecological communities will respond to disturbances is notoriously challenging, especially given the variability in species' responses within the same community. Focusing solely on aggregate responses may obscure extinction risks for certain species owing to compensatory effects, emphasizing the need to understand the drivers of the response variability at the species level. Yet, these drivers remain poorly understood. Here, we reveal that despite the typical complexity of biotic interaction networks, species' responses follow a discernible pattern. Specifically, we demonstrate that the species whose population abundances are most reduced by biotic interactions-which are not always the rarest species-are those that exhibit the strongest responses to disturbances. This insight enables us to pinpoint sensitive species within communities without requiring precise information about biotic interactions. Our novel approach introduces avenues for future research aimed at identifying sensitive species and elucidating their impacts on entire communities.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Biota
Population Dynamics
Models, Biological
Biodiversity
Ecosystem
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1471-2954
- Volume :
- 291
- Issue :
- 2032
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Proceedings. Biological sciences
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 39378997
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.0930