Food webs are detailed maps of who eats whom, and therefore how big an effect a change in one species has on the other species in the community. Humans have profound effects on the structure and functioning of biological communities, and these are often evident at the scale of the food web. Currently we do not know how to predict the effect of changes in one species on the other species in the community. We should be able to predict these changes using food web theory.To address these challenges the River Communities Group, with colleagues at QMUL (Prof. Hildrew, Drs. Trimmer and Grey; see below), has manipulated a well-characterised and quantified food web, for which we have highly-resolved data, by first introducing an additional predator to the top of the web and subsequently by altering the availability and quality of the food at the base of the web.This research explores a range of responses across multiple levels of biological organisation, from population dynamics of individual species to ecosystem processes and whole stream metabolism. The work enables us to predict the effect of changes in one species on the other species in the community. It allows us to construct more accurate models of the consequences of species loss or invasion on ecosystems. Furthermore, we are using these empirical data to inform and develop new theoretical models that link metabolic theory and ecological stoichiometry in food webs.
For all enquiries, please contact :
Tel: +44 (0)1929 401 892 email: j.i.jones@qmul.ac.uk