@article{Buzhdygan_Rudenko_2016, title={Multivariate comparison of trophic networks of grassland ecosystems}, volume={27}, url={https://en.dp.ua/index.php/en/article/view/30}, DOI={10.15421/031606}, abstractNote={<p>This article compares 13 network properties of food webs of 31 Ukrainian grasslands. The properties are: network size <strong><em>N</em></strong>, trophic link number <strong><em>L</em></strong>, trophic classes <strong><em>Cl</em></strong>, system connectance <strong><em>C</em></strong>, link density <strong><em>LD</em></strong>, total system throughflow <strong><em>TST</em></strong>, network cycling <strong><em>FCI</em></strong>, ascendency <strong><em>AS</em></strong>, developmental capacity <strong><em>DC</em></strong>, indirect effects dominance <strong><em>IE</em></strong>, system aggradation <strong><em>AI</em></strong>, system synergism <strong><em>SI</em></strong>, and mutualism <strong><em>MI</em></strong>. Our results show these properties are highly correlated and can be aggregated into the three latent factors. The first factor includes <strong><em>N</em></strong>, <strong><em>TST</em></strong>, <strong><em>AS</em></strong>, <strong><em>DC</em></strong>, <strong><em>SI</em></strong>, <strong><em>L</em></strong>, and <strong><em>LD</em></strong>, where network size<strong> <em>N</em></strong> appears to be a central defining variable. The second latent factor includes <strong><em>FCI</em></strong>, <strong><em>AI</em></strong>, and <strong><em>Cl</em></strong>, and is driven by indirect effects dominance <strong><em>IE</em></strong>.&nbsp; The third factor includes mutualism <strong><em>MI</em></strong> and connectance <strong><em>C</em></strong>, the last being the driving variable. Network Synergism <strong><em>SI</em></strong> is negatively correlated with the other network properties, while all others are positively intercorrelated. Network connectance appears to be a scale invariant property, while link density is highly sensitive to network size. Our data also show that network mutualism <strong><em>MI</em></strong> is more tied to the network complexity than simply to system scale or number of feeding links.</p&gt;}, number={1-2}, journal={Ecology and Noospherology}, author={Buzhdygan, O. Y. and Rudenko, S. S.}, year={2016}, month={Apr.}, pages={49-71} }