Data Set Citation
NCEAS: 11201: Bascompte: ComplexEcosystems, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Bascompte J, Melian C, and Sala E.Caribbean food web.
bowdish.272.36 (http://knb.ecoinformatics.org/knb/metacat/bowdish.272.36/knb).
Data Tables, Images, and Other Entities:
Metadata download:Ecological Metadata Language (EML) File
Data Table:Dataset-PNAS-05_Species_codes.txt (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:Interaction_Strengt_Matrix.txt (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:Caribbean_NBM-1.txt (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:TopTenSpecies.txt (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:15_Basal_Species.txt (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:Opitz_CaribbeanFoodWeb.csv (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:Opitz_CaribbeanFoodWeb.csv (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:Opitz_CaribbeanFoodWeb.csv (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:Opitz_CaribbeanFoodWeb.csv (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:QBj.csv (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:DCijxQBj.csv (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:PCISAnnual.csv (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:PCISAnnual.csv (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Table:PCISday_code.csv (View Metadata | Download File download)
Data Set Owner(s):
Organization:NCEAS: 11201: Bascompte: ComplexEcosystems
Organization:National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Individual: Jordi Bascompte
Email Address:
bascompte@ebd.csic.es
Individual: Carlos Melian
Email Address:
melian@nceas.ucsb.edu
Individual: Enric Sala
Abstract:
 
This is a Data set of the Caribbean food web that was analyzed in Bascompte, Melián and Sala (2005), Interaction strength combinations and the overfishing of a marine food web. PNAS 102: 5443-5447. The stability of ecological communities largely depends on the strength of interactions between predators and their prey. Here we show that these interaction strengths are structured nonrandomly in a large Caribbean marine food web. Specifically, the cooccurrence of strong interactions on two consecutive levels of food chains occurs less frequently than expected by chance. Even when they occur, these strongly interacting chains are accompanied by strong omnivory more often than expected by chance. By using a food web model, we show that these interaction strength combinations reduce the likelihood of trophic cascades after the overfishing of top predators.
Keywords:
 
  • community stability
  • omnivory
  • trophic chain
  • trophic cascade
  • quantitative networks
  • species interactions
  • predation
  • Food-web Dynamics
  • Caribbean
Additional Information:
 
References: Opitz, S. (1996) Trophic Interactions in Caribbean Coral Reefs, International Center for Living Aquatic Resource Management Technical Reports (Int. Cent. Living Aquat. Resour. Manage, Makati City, Philippines), Vol. 43.
Ecopath with Ecosim has an online copy at http://www.ecopath.org/modules/models/papers/Opitz1996%20Caribbean%20coral%20reefs.pdf
Much of the data from Optiz is derived from Randall, J.E., 1967. Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5: 665-847.
Fire corals (I4) was from McField, M. (1998) The Influence of Disturbance and Management on Coral Reef Communities in Belize. Ph.D. Thesis. (Univ. of Newcastle, Newcastle, U.K.).
Geographic Coverage:
Geographic Description:Caribbean
Bounding Coordinates:
West:  -84.875  degrees
East:  -65.375  degrees
North:  23.75  degrees
South:  17.125  degrees
Taxonomic Coverage:
Taxon:
Rank NameRank ValueCommon Names
GenusCarcharhinus
  SpeciesCarcharhinus acronotus
Taxon:
Rank NameRank ValueCommon Names
GenusCarcharhinus
  SpeciesCarcharhinus falciformis
Taxon:
Rank NameRank ValueCommon Names
GenusCarcharhinus
  SpeciesCarcharhinus perezi
Taxon:
Rank NameRank ValueCommon Names
GenusGaleocerdo
  SpeciesGaleocerdo cuvier
Taxon:
Rank NameRank ValueCommon Names
GenusGinglymostoma
  SpeciesGinglymostoma cirratum
Taxon:
Rank NameRank ValueCommon Names
GenusMustelus
  SpeciesMustelus canis
Taxon:
Rank NameRank ValueCommon Names
GenusNegaprion
  SpeciesNegaprion porosus
Taxon:
Rank NameRank ValueCommon Names
GenusSphyrna
  SpeciesSphyrna lewini
Taxon:
Rank NameRank ValueCommon Names
GenusSphyrna
  SpeciesSphyrna tiburo
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Contact:
Individual: Jordi Bascompte
Email Address:
bascompte@ebd.csic.es
Methods Info:
Step 1:  
Description:
Data: Strengths and Limitations
We have compiled and analyzed a large quantitative food-web. First, while the bulk of previous studies use food-webs with a number of species ranging from 25 to 94 (only one food web has as much as 181 species), our food web has 249 species. Second, in the previously published foodwebs the level of aggregation is really high (nodes of the web correspond to trophic species, not taxonomic species). In contrast, the bulk of species in our food web correspond to taxonomic species. Third, almost all previously studied food-webs are qualitative, while we present quantitative information. However, our data have still weaknesses which need to be acknowledged to put our conclusions in perspective. There are two potential limitations: the variability in diet and biomass estimates and the unequal level of resolution.
Instrument(s): Calculations of interaction strength are based on estimates of diet preferences, biomass (calculated as the average number of individuals per square meter times their average body mass), and the number of times an age-structured population of predator j consumes it own weight per day (Q/B)j .
Instrument(s): Bascompte et al. 10.1073/pnas.0501562102 at http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/0501562102/DC1 has more detailed information about the methods.