Food Web Topology

Food web topology analysis characterizes the structure of predator-prey interactions within ecological communities using network metrics. Pioneered by Williams and Martinez (2000) and extended by Dunne and colleagues (2002), this approach maps which species eat which and quantifies network properties (connectivity, clustering, robustness). Understanding food web structure reveals how ecosystems are organized, how stable they are to species loss, and what roles different species play in ecosystem function.