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Ecological networks and their fragility.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Montoya, JM; Pimm, SL; Solé, RV
Published in: Nature
July 2006

Darwin used the metaphor of a 'tangled bank' to describe the complex interactions between species. Those interactions are varied: they can be antagonistic ones involving predation, herbivory and parasitism, or mutualistic ones, such as those involving the pollination of flowers by insects. Moreover, the metaphor hints that the interactions may be complex to the point of being impossible to understand. All interactions can be visualized as ecological networks, in which species are linked together, either directly or indirectly through intermediate species. Ecological networks, although complex, have well defined patterns that both illuminate the ecological mechanisms underlying them and promise a better understanding of the relationship between complexity and ecological stability.

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Published In

Nature

DOI

EISSN

1476-4687

ISSN

0028-0836

Publication Date

July 2006

Volume

442

Issue

7100

Start / End Page

259 / 264

Related Subject Headings

  • Predatory Behavior
  • Host-Parasite Interactions
  • General Science & Technology
  • Food Chain
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Ecosystem
  • Ecology
  • Animals
 

Citation

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Montoya, J. M., Pimm, S. L., & Solé, R. V. (2006). Ecological networks and their fragility. Nature, 442(7100), 259–264. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04927
Montoya, José M., Stuart L. Pimm, and Ricard V. Solé. “Ecological networks and their fragility.Nature 442, no. 7100 (July 2006): 259–64. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04927.
Montoya JM, Pimm SL, Solé RV. Ecological networks and their fragility. Nature. 2006 Jul;442(7100):259–64.
Montoya, José M., et al. “Ecological networks and their fragility.Nature, vol. 442, no. 7100, July 2006, pp. 259–64. Epmc, doi:10.1038/nature04927.
Montoya JM, Pimm SL, Solé RV. Ecological networks and their fragility. Nature. 2006 Jul;442(7100):259–264.
Journal cover image

Published In

Nature

DOI

EISSN

1476-4687

ISSN

0028-0836

Publication Date

July 2006

Volume

442

Issue

7100

Start / End Page

259 / 264

Related Subject Headings

  • Predatory Behavior
  • Host-Parasite Interactions
  • General Science & Technology
  • Food Chain
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Ecosystem
  • Ecology
  • Animals