The Review of Ecological Network Indicators in Graph Theory Context: 2014–2021

Abstract

Graph theory (GT) is extensively applied in the ecological network analysis. This review study aimed to examine GT in the field of ecological network analysis based on the following questions: In what areas are the articles focused?, what indexes or graph-based indicators have been thus far utilized in ecological network analysis?, and what aspects of ecological network analysis have been less considered in terms of the use of the GT indicators? To address these questions, a systematic literature review was conducted and the results showed that most of the articles in this field had been fulfilled in China, the United States, and France. This theory could have implications for more research on plants and mammals. In addition, 118 indicators were identified in the field of GT in the ecological network analysis. Among these indicators, the probability of connectivity (PC) and an integral index of connectivity (IIC) had been consistently exploited in most articles. Moreover, the results revealed the increasing trend of introducing the new indicators of GT to ecological network analysis, suggesting the applicability of GT in this context. Despite the importance of ecological network resilience, it has been less reflected from the GT perspective while it can be useful and efficient in analyzing the sustainability of ecological networks within this framework. The current trend of exploiting the GT indicators delineates three future lines of development, viz. (1) the GT use more widely in ecological network analysis, (2) emerging new and more precise indexes, and (3) new concerns mainly examining ecological network resilience.