Topological redundancy and ‘small‐world’ patterns in a food web in a subtropical ecosystem of Brazil          下载免费PDF全文

Hugo Bornatowski  Rodrigo Barreto  Andrés F. Navia  Alberto Ferreira de Amorim 《Marine Ecology》2017,38(2)

According to graph theory, the frequency distribution of trophic interactions within a food web has deep structural implications, as it can highlight the presence of patterns associated with the web and indicate whether the properties of the web are independent of its size. A hypothesis is that ‘small‐world’ food webs are sensitive to the loss of species with the highest values. Therefore, the present work aimed to evaluate the degree to which a subtropical food web in Southern Brazil displays small‐world patterns and their resistance. As part of the assessment, we evaluated the topological redundancy values of species in the food web and then we simulated the exclusion of these species (such as sharks and sea birds), and also the exclusion of high centrality species (such as squids Loligo sp., portunid swimming crabs and the cutlassfish Trichiurus lepturus). The food web showed a ‘broad‐scale’ distribution of connections by node, and a small‐world pattern. As expected, a simplification of the network was observed after elimination of some species with high centrality. However, the food web was resistant to the loss of species with low topological redundancy, probably because these species occupy a high trophic level and do not participate in lots of routes within the food web. We highlight however, the importance of the application of multiple analyses to evaluate the importance of components in food webs, and fisheries management plans should consider both species of high centrality values and species with low topological redundancy.  相似文献   

Relationship between geoacoustic properties and chemical content of submarine polymetallic crusts from offshore Brazil     

Arthur Ayres Neto  Vanessa Alves da Costa  Clara Pinto Ferreira Maia Porto  Thais Cristina Vargas Garrido  Jean-Pierre Hermand 《Marine Georesources & Geotechnology》2020,38(4):437-449

Abstract

Marine mining is the ocean’s new exploration frontier, and polymetallic crusts (PMCs) and ferromanganese nodules are considered a strategic resource for the future. Acoustic geophysical methods are a valuable tool for oceanic research and have been employed for several decades in the exploration of marine resources and environmental evaluations. The main objective of this work was to investigate the correlation between the chemical composition of PMCs from three different areas along the Brazilian continental margin and their physico-acoustic attributes (P-wave velocity, density and acoustic impedance). The results show that the geoacoustic properties of PMCs are correlated to their chemical composition. Measurements showed positive and negative trends between acoustic impedance and studied elements (Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, W and Ni) according to the direction of measurement, indicting high anisotropy levels. Our study sheds initial light on the correlation between acoustic properties and metal content of PMCs. The study facilitates assessments of the acoustic responses of PMCs allowing more efficient prospection and exploitation compared to ship-board geophysical techniques that are too qualitative to identify PMCs. The results can contribute to determining the best procedures and techniques for more efficient future exploration of this resource.  相似文献