Tropical ecologist, community ecologist, and entomologist at
@sciencecharles.bsky.social and Biology Centre Czech Academy of Science; head of Insect Community Ecology Group (https://www.insect-communities.cz/)
Robert Tropek
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Empirical elevational networks partly follow these MDE predictions, but also show clear deviations.
👉 Mid-domain effect matters, although biology leaves a major fingerprint. Ignoring MDE risks misinterpreting null patterns as biological signals.
If species overlap most in the middle of a gradient, interactions among overlapping species should too. Under MDE alone, network metrics are predicted to show unimodal or U-shaped patterns, even without any niche differences or environmental filtering.
I am very proud and honoured that one more moth species, Sineviella tropeki, was dedicated to me! Together with Sineviella maicheri, dedicated to my former student Dr. Vincent Maicher.
New preprint on interaction networks from our group!
Do network characteristics peak mid-gradient, similar to species richness, due to simple geometry: the mid-domain effect (MDE).
We test this using simulations and real plant–pollinator and ant–plant networks.
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Our null-model simulations show that MDE alone can generate strong structure:
- unimodal peaks in realised links, generality and vulnerability
- U-shaped patterns in connectance and often nestedness
All emerging from geometry, not biology...
Podcast @akademievedcr.bsky.social o opylování, hmyzu, výzkumu, i mužích na rodičovské dovolené...
www.avcr.cz/cs/pro-verej...
(samozřejmě k nalezení i v podcastových aplikacích)
