title: Evolutionary food web model based on body masses gives realistic networks with permanent species turnover.
abstract: The networks of predator-prey interactions in ecological systems are remarkably complex, but nevertheless surprisingly stable in terms of long term persistence of the system as a whole. In order to understand the mechanism driving the complexity and stability of such food webs, we developed an eco-evolutionary model in which new species emerge as modifications of existing ones and dynamic ecological interactions determine which species are viable. The food-web structure thereby emerges from the dynamical interplay between speciation and trophic interactions. The proposed model is less abstract than earlier evolutionary food web models in the sense that all three evolving traits have a clear biological meaning, namely the average body mass of the individuals, the preferred prey body mass, and the width of their potential prey body mass spectrum. We observed networks with a wide range of sizes and structures and high similarity to natural food webs. The model networks exhibit a continuous species turnover, but massive extinction waves that affect more than 50% of the network are not observed.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany.
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Allhoff
authors.affiliation: Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ritterskamp
authors.affiliation: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany; Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Rall
authors.affiliation: Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Drossel
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001835:Body Weight; D017753:Ecosystem; D020387:Food Chain; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011235:Predatory Behavior