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The Use of Ecological Networks as Tools for Understanding and Conserving Marine Biodiversity

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Marine Coastal Ecosystems Modelling and Conservation

Abstract

Anthropogenic pressures threaten marine biodiversity at multiple scales and challenge scientists to understand and mitigate human impacts on marine biodiversity. Facing such a challenge, recent approaches that bridge community ecology and conservation planning can broaden the theoretical foundations of strategies aimed to ensure the resilience and functional diversity of marine food webs. We here summarize metrics used to describe patterns of ecological interactions that account for the overall community architecture, such as nestedness and modularity. In addition, we discuss approaches to characterize species topological roles within food webs in order to identify sets of interacting species that act as the backbone of marine biodiversity and ecosystem functions. We argue that combining empirical data and dynamic network modeling is key to foster the integrative understanding of ecological, evolutionary, and anthropogenic processes sha** marine food webs, which requires theoretical ecologists and practitioners to work together in long-term, system-level strategies to conserve marine biodiversity and improve the sustainability of fisheries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fundación colombiana para la investigación y conservación de tiburones y rayas, Squalus, Colombia

    Viviana Márquez-Velásquez & Andrés F. Navia

  2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

    Viviana Márquez-Velásquez

  3. Grupo de Pesquisa Ecologia Evolutiva de Interações Ecológicas: Redes, Teoriase Aplicações, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Rio Tinto, PB, Brazil

    Viviana Márquez-Velásquez & Rafael L. G. Raimundo

  4. Departamento de Engenharia e Meio Ambiente, Centro de Ciências Aplicadas e Educação, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Rio Tinto, PB, Brazil

    Rafael L. G. Raimundo

  5. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Monitoramento Ambiental (PPGEMA), Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Rio Tinto, PB, Brazil

    Rafael L. G. Raimundo

  6. Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil

    Ricardo de Souza Rosa

  7. Grupo de investigación en Ecología Animal, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

    Andrés F. Navia

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  1. Viviana Márquez-Velásquez
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  2. Rafael L. G. Raimundo
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  3. Ricardo de Souza Rosa
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  4. Andrés F. Navia
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Correspondence to Andrés F. Navia .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Modelamiento de Sistemas, Ecológicos Complejos (LAMSEC), Departamento de Biología Marina, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Alexander von Humboldt, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile

    Marco Ortiz

  2. Balaton Limnological Institute, Centre for Ecological Research, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy, Tihany, Hungary

    Ferenc Jordán

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Márquez-Velásquez, V., Raimundo, R.L.G., de Souza Rosa, R., Navia, A.F. (2021). The Use of Ecological Networks as Tools for Understanding and Conserving Marine Biodiversity. In: Ortiz, M., Jordán, F. (eds) Marine Coastal Ecosystems Modelling and Conservation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58211-1_9

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