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Identifying important species that amplify or mitigate the interactive effects of human impacts on marine food webs

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 01:06 authored by Griffith, GP, Peter StruttonPeter Strutton, Jayson SemmensJayson Semmens, Elizabeth FultonElizabeth Fulton
Some species may have a larger role than others in the transfer of complex effects of multiple human stressors, such as changes in biomass, through marine food webs. We devised a novel approach to identify such species. We constructed annual interaction‐effect networks (IENs) of the simulated changes in biomass between species of the southeastern Australian marine system. Each annual IEN was composed of the species linked by either an additive (sum of the individual stressor response), synergistic (lower biomass compared with additive effects), or antagonistic (greater biomass compared with additive effects) response to the interaction effect of ocean warming, ocean acidification, and fisheries. Structurally, over the simulation period, the number of species and links in the synergistic IENs increased and the network structure became more stable. The stability of the antagonistic IENs decreased and became more vulnerable to the loss of species. In contrast, there was no change in the structural attributes of species linked by an additive response. Using indices common in food‐web and network theory, we identified the species in each IEN for which a change in biomass from stressor effects would disproportionately affect the biomass of other species via direct and indirect local, intermediate, and global predator–prey feeding interactions. Knowing the species that transfer the most synergistic or antagonistic responses in a food‐web may inform conservation under increasing multiple‐stressor impacts.

History

Publication title

Conservation Biology

Volume

33

Pagination

403-412

ISSN

0888-8892

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing Inc

Place of publication

350 Main St, Malden, USA, Ma, 02148

Rights statement

Copyright 2018 Society for Conservation Biology

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Climate variability (excl. social impacts)

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