@article{fdi:010066772,
  title = {{I}ntermediate predation pressure leads to maximal complexity in food webs},
  author = {{G}auzens, {B}. and {L}egendre, {S}. and {L}azzaro, {X}avier and {L}acroix, {G}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{R}esponses of ecosystems to modifications of their environmental conditions are usually considered in terms of biodiversity or function. {M}aybe because they represent a hidden part of ecosystems, responses of ecological interactions are rarely studied. {A} more comprehensive view of the processes underlying the restructuring of food webs under environmental gradients appears crucial to understand how ecosystems functionalities are altered. {W}e address this general issue in an experiment where trophic interactions are reorganized under a gradient of top-down effects (predation pressure) and bottom-up effects (nutrient availability). {U}nimodal relationships of species diversity are pervasive in ecology; we extend this principle to food-web topology: in our study, most topological descriptor values peak at intermediate predation intensity. {T}he same unimodal pattern holds for network complexity, measured by entropy and scaled entropy (a measure independent of species diversity). {M}oreover, food web complexity is maximized at higher fish abundance when nutrient availability is increased. {W}e infer that whereas in absence of top predators, a mechanism of competitive exclusion takes place, and indirect facilitation process underlies systems with a moderate predation pressure. {T}hese results highlight the importance of the dynamic reorganization of trophic links in response to bottom-up and top-down effects. {I}nteraction between bottom-up and top-down forces argue for multifactorial studies of ecological effects.},
  keywords = {{FRANCE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{O}ikos},
  volume = {125},
  numero = {4},
  pages = {595--603},
  ISSN = {0030-1299},
  year = {2016},
  DOI = {10.1111/oik.02627},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066772},
}