@article{fdi:010061243,
  title = {{F}ood-web aggregation, methodological and functional issues},
  author = {{G}auzens, {B}. and {L}egendre, {S}. and {L}azzaro, {X}avier and {L}acroix, {G}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}rophic species in food webs are often aggregated into fewer groups, using theoretical and empirical approaches, either for modelling tractability or because of the lack of data resolution. {H}eterogeneities in the resolution of food webs used in the literature have led to question their use to establish general topological rules. {D}espite an increasing number of studies relating topology to ecosystem functioning, we still have no idea on how species' aggregation affects our perception of network functionalities. {T}herefore, we re-examined the conclusions drawn from an experimental manipulation relating top-predator foraging behaviour and biomass to food-web topology ({L}azzaro et al. 2009) by aggregating a 74-species network according to different criteria (taxonomy, trophic similarity, size, expertise). {W}e found that initial significant effects and functional properties were preserved over a large portion of the aggregation gradient (2/3) despite strong variations in the topological descriptor values along the gradient. {A}ggregation tended to produce more type {II} errors (false positive) than type {I} errors, advocating that most effects in aggregated networks are not methodological artefacts. {A}ggregation by taxonomy, trophic similarity and expertise better preserved functional properties (down to 38, 30 and 17 nodes, respectively) than aggregation by size (down to 40 nodes). {O}ur results suggest that it is possible to relate the structure of aggregated networks to ecosystem properties provided that the methodological approaches are standardized and the level of lumping does not a exceed a reasonable threshold.},
  keywords = {},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{O}ikos},
  volume = {122},
  numero = {11},
  pages = {1606--1615},
  ISSN = {0030-1299},
  year = {2013},
  DOI = {10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00266.x},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010061243},
}