Determining key mammalian species and food web robustness across different land cover vegetation using network analysis

Abstract

Abstract. Risdiyanto I, Santosa Y, Santoso N, Sunkar A. 2024. Determining key mammalian species and food web robustness across different land cover vegetation using network analysis. Biodiversitas 25: 3175-3190. The ecosystem's food web depicts the intricate energy flow and complex interactions among its diverse organisms. Organisms are not confined to single trophic levels or food chains; they establish multiple food connections with other organisms within the ecosystem. This study aims to identify critical mammalian species and assess the robustness of various ecosystem types, considering the diversity of species presence, through food web analysis. Computational graphic-based network analysis is employed to achieve this goal. Ecosystem types, categorized by their land cover, include plantation/agricultural forests, Bushes and shrubss, forests, and mixed landscapes. Network centrality metrics such as degree, closeness, betweenness, and eigenvector centrality are utilized to evaluate the presence of key species and ecosystem robustness. The relative contribution of mammalian species as connectors and regulators of energy flow in the food web ranges from 8-23% of all nodes involved. Key mammalian species are classified into ecosystem stability and sustainability keys. In Bushes and shrubss ecosystems, key species predominantly consist of mammalian predator species that are crucial for maintaining ecosystem stability through population control. Conversely, in other ecosystems, key species are primarily connectors, ensuring the sustained energy flow. The most resilient food webs are observed in Bushes and shrubss and mixed ecosystems due to their higher biomass growth rates and abundant presence of mammalian species. Utilizing food web analysis can significantly contribute to species and ecosystem conservation efforts by offering a comprehensive understanding of interspecies interactions, food web structures, and ecosystem dynamics.