Ecological networks: delving into the architecture of biodiversity

Abstract

In recent years, the analysis of interaction networks has grown popular as a framework to explore ecological processes and the relationships between community structure and its functioning. The field has rapidly grown from its infancy to a vibrant youth, as reflected in the variety and quality of the discussions held at the first international symposium on Ecological Networks in Coimbra-Portugal (23-25 October 2013). The meeting gathered 170 scientists from 22 countries, who presented data from a broad geographical range, and covering all stages of network analyses, from sampling strategies to effective ways of communicating results, presenting new analytical tools, incorporation of temporal and spatial dynamics, new applications and visualization tools.(1) During the meeting it became evident that while many of the caveats diagnosed in early network studies are successfully being tackled, new challenges arise, attesting to the health of the discipline.

Keywords: community ecology; food webs; interaction matrix; interactome; spatio-temporal network dynamics.

Figure 1.

Proportion of the bulk of ecological papers published since 1985 that include the term ‘network(s)’ in their title, keywords or abstract. Data extracted from the Web of Science were accessed in October 2013. Search terms: Topic = (Network*) and Year Published = (1985–2012) and Category = (Ecology).