title: Ecological Networks over the Edge: Hypergraph Trait-Mediated Indirect Interaction (TMII) Structure.
abstract: Analyses of ecological network structure have yielded important insights into the functioning of complex ecological systems. However, such analyses almost universally omit non-pairwise interactions, many classes of which are crucial for system structure, function, and resilience. Hypergraphs are mathematical constructs capable of considering such interactions: we discuss their utility for studying ecological networks containing diverse interaction types, and associated challenges and strategies. We demonstrate the approach using a real-world coffee agroecosystem in which resistance to agricultural pests depends upon a large number of TMIIs. A hypergraph representation successfully reflects both the importance of species imposing such effects and the context-dependency of that importance in terms of how it is affected by removal of other species from the system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Kennesaw State University, Science Building, 370 Paulding Ave NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA. Electronic address: agolubsk@kennesaw.edu.
authors.forename: Antonio J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Golubski
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, Kennesaw State University, Math Building, 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060, USA.
authors.forename: Erik E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Westlund
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Kraus Natural Science Building, 830 North University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vandermeer
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 1101 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; The Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA.
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pascual
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem
keywords: ecological network; food web; hypergraph; interaction modification; nontrophic interaction; trait-mediated indirect interaction