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Science 10 May 2002:
Vol. 296. no. 5570, pp. 1120 - 1123
DOI: 10.1126/science.1068326
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Reports

Stability in Real Food Webs: Weak Links in Long Loops

Anje-Margriet Neutel,1* Johan A. P. Heesterbeek,2 Peter C. de Ruiter1

Increasing evidence that the strengths of interactions among populations in biological communities form patterns that are crucial for system stability requires clarification of the precise form of these patterns, how they come about, and why they influence stability. We show that in real food webs, interaction strengths are organized in trophic loops in such a way that long loops contain relatively many weak links. We show and explain mathematically that this patterning enhances stability, because it reduces maximum "loop weight" and thus reduces the amount of intraspecific interaction needed for matrix stability. The patterns are brought about by biomass pyramids, a feature common to most ecosystems. Incorporation of biomass pyramids in 104 food-web descriptions reveals that the low weight of the long loops stabilizes complex food webs. Loop-weight analysis could be a useful tool for exploring the structure and organization of complex communities.

1 Department of Environmental Sciences, Utrecht University, Post Office Box 80115, 3508 TC Utrecht, Netherlands.
2 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology Group, Utrecht University, Post Office Box 80151, 3508 TD Utrecht, Netherlands.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: a.neutel{at}geog.uu.nl

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