New Analysis on Food Webs Helps Predict Ecosystem Responses to Invasive Species, Predators, and Climate Change

Scientists discuss their most recent research on food webs and forecast how an ecosystem will react to a variety of factors, such as invasive species, predators, and climate change.

A recent University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) study found that not much is known about the effects of the climate crisis on marine food webs. To learn how to make ocean ecosystems healthier and more resilient, the study compared ancient and contemporary ocean ecosystems.

Oceanic food webs, according to some scientists, haven't changed all that much in the last 540 million years. But according to a group of UNLV researchers, some ancient food webs were very dissimilar from modern ones.

The study recreated four different marine food webs from the time that dinosaurs were on the planet, over 65 million years ago, using fossils. The food webs were also contrasted with one that was recreated from a contemporary Jamaican reef.

The results demonstrate that the four ancient food webs were very different from one another. The researchers also found that the youngest food web was not the one that was most similar to the coral reefs in Jamaica today.

Food Webs

The results, according to researchers, indicate significant structural changes in marine ecosystems since their origin. When considering conservation and restoration plans, the ability to correct imbalances and prevent the extinction of the species living within these structures can be impacted by impairments to these structures over time that humans have caused.

Carrie Tyler, a marine conservation paleobiologist, said that understanding how food webs function is crucial for conservation because it aids in forecasting how ecosystems will react to climate change. Tyler is a UNLV Department of Geoscience Assistant Professor. She is also a co-author of the study.

She said that each member of the web is interdependent and dependent on the others, so when a stressful event affects one species, it inevitably affects the other members of the web. If a species is eliminated from the framework, the food web's intended purpose might no longer be served as a result of the missing component.

Tyler said that this can make it challenging to reintroduce species in the future because their roles might no longer be compatible with the structure.

This application of paleontology can help us understand what should be saved and how. Tyler adds that this is an alternative perspective on conservation.

Roxanne Banker, a postdoctoral researcher colleague of Tyler's, added that it is possible to find strategies for fostering more resilient communities both now and in the future by studying these structures over time, UNLV reports.

Read also: Unprecedented Reshuffling of Marine Ecosystems Possible Because of Ocean Warming 

Study Findings

• Human activity is causing climate change and altered ocean ecosystems, which is of growing concern. According to Tyler, there are no longer any pristine ecosystems-those that have not been impacted by human activity.
• The species present, their role in moving energy, the manner those functions interact with one another, and how much the animals at the top of the food chain influence the rest of the food web determine the community stability in ocean ecosystem structures. To determine whether the species and functions of these systems can endure these stressors, researchers are examining how these systems react to emergencies.
• To better understand how we can assist ocean ecosystems in recovering from damage, researchers can use the new UNLV research to identify the long-term effects of biological invasion. This includes the introduction of new species, predators, or other environmental disturbances.
• A more detailed understanding of how human activity has impacted ecosystems can be developed by looking at things on a longer time scale. Approaching conservation and restoration efforts in this way will improve their effectiveness, PhysOrg reports.

The study by Tyler and her colleagues was published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

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