Abstract
The path of a particle through an ecosystem is modelled as a Markov chain. For a given flow network, powers of the transition matrix are used to calculate the distribution of the particles over the network after each transition. The method may be applied for the definition and calculation of trophic levels in food webs. The algorithm yields the trophic level distribution of species, the species composition of trophic levels, and the path length distribution of output flows. In addition, the network can be described as a linear chain, with the throughflows at each step identified. Data from several ecosystems are analyzed by the method, showing that surprising insights may result.
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