Food webs in food webs: the micro–macro interplay of multilayered networks

Robinson et al. (2024). Link to paper here

Nested food webs

Food webs are typically defined as being macro-organism-based (e.g., plants, mammals, birds) or microbial (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses). However, these characterizations have limits. We propose a multilayered food web conceptual model where microbial food webs are nested within food webs composed of macro-organisms. Nesting occurs through host–microbe interactions, which influence the health and behavior of host macro-organisms, such that host microbiomes likely alter population dynamics of interacting macro-organisms and vice versa. Here, we explore the theoretical underpinnings of multilayered food webs and the implications of this new conceptual model on food web ecology. Our framework opens avenues for new empirical investigations into complex ecological networks and provides a new lens through which to view a network’s response to ecosystem changes.

Highlights

• The separation of macro-level and microbial food webs is typical but has important limits.

• A multilayered food web conceptual model is needed because microbial food webs are nested within macro-organisms.

• These multilayered microbial food webs likely influence the network dynamics of macro-level food webs.

• A multilayered food webs model opens new avenues for empirical investigations into the complexity of ecological networks.

• The model can provide a new lens through which to view a network’s response to ecosystem changes.