High frequency of functional extinctions in ecological networks

Torbjörn Säterberg, Stefan Sellman and Bo Ebenman ()
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Torbjörn Säterberg: Linköping University, Chemistry and Biology, SE−58183 Linköping, Sweden
Stefan Sellman: Linköping University, Chemistry and Biology, SE−58183 Linköping, Sweden
Bo Ebenman: Linköping University, Chemistry and Biology, SE−58183 Linköping, Sweden

Nature, 2013, vol. 499, issue 7459, 468-470

Abstract: A modelling study of the mechanisms of extinction within ecological networks reveals how even a small reduction in the population size of a species may lead to the loss of its ecological functionality—that is, to its functional extinction—by causing extinction of other organisms in the food web, often only indirectly connected to the focal species, revealing the value of conservation strategies that target a broader ecological network.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/nature12277

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