Estupiñán-Montaño, C., F.R., Elorriaga-Verplancken, F., Galván-Magaña, A., Sánchez-González, C.J., Polo-Silva & M.J., Zetina-Rejón (2023). Terrestrial food web of the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, Colombia: An analysis from a topological approach. Ecological Informatics. 75: 102074. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2023.102074.
Colombo Estupiñán-Montaño 1, Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken 2, Felipe Galván-Magaña 2, Alberto Sánchez-González 2, Carlos J. Polo-Silva 3 y Manuel J. Zetina-Rejón 2
Malpelo Island is the largest marine protectedarea (MPA) in the Colombian Pacific; however, the lack of information regardingits ecological dynamics suggests that management and conservation strategiesare developed from an individual approach (species or groups of species) andnot from an ecosystem one. This study analyzes the terrestrial food web ofMalpelo Island, Colombia, based on topological analysis (e.g., centrality). Thefood web was constructed from 27 nodes representing the main trophogroups, whichconsist of species or functional groups. Malpelo Island had a food web of foursteps with a maximum separation among all trophogroups and trophic pathways,with two steps in average length. Furthermore, the food web was divided intothree food web compartments, with a recurrence of connectivity patternsdominated by apparent and exploitative competition, followed by tri-trophicchains and omnivory. Five key trophogroups control the energy flow throughoutthe food web (detritus, the land crab Johngarthia malpilensis, the lizardAnolis agassizi, the Malpelo dotted galliwasp Diploglossus millepunctatus, andthe Nazca booby Sula granti). The high importance of detritus suggests thatbottom-up processes act as a control and regulation mechanism of trophic flows.The low number of food web compartments and a high recurrence of specificconnectivity patterns in the Malpelo Island terrestrial ecosystem evidencedifferent ecological processes centered on five trophogroups, allowingstability against disturbances. In addition, the simulation of trophogroupremoval (randomly or directed) suggests that food web can be vulnerable tostructural alterations in their properties, which may have consequences on theresilience of this ecosystem. This study contributes to the knowledge of thetrophic dynamics of Malpelo Island, providing a potential tool for managementand conservation measures from an ecosystemic approach.
Palabras clave: Food chain; resilience; key species; Motifs; Trophic communities
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