Why nestedness in mutualistic networks?

We investigate the relationship between the nested organization of mutualistic systems and their robustness against the extinction of species. We establish that a nested pattern of contacts is the best possible one as far as robustness is concerned, but only when the least linked species have the gr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of theoretical biology 2007-11, Vol.249 (2), p.307-313
Main Authors: Burgos, Enrique, Ceva, Horacio, Perazzo, Roberto P.J., Devoto, Mariano, Medan, Diego, Zimmermann, Martín, María Delbue, Ana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cooperative Behavior
Ecosystem
Extinction
Extinction, Biological
Group Processes
Models, Biological
Mutualistic system
Nestedness
Network
Plant-pollinator
Robustness
Species Specificity
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Summary:We investigate the relationship between the nested organization of mutualistic systems and their robustness against the extinction of species. We establish that a nested pattern of contacts is the best possible one as far as robustness is concerned, but only when the least linked species have the greater probability of becoming extinct. We introduce a coefficient that provides a quantitative measure of the robustness of a mutualistic system.
ISSN:0022-5193
1095-8541
DOI:10.1016/j.jtbi.2007.07.030