Fig. 3: Nestedness in the resource-function matrix of the Na Redona dataset.
From: On the structure of species-function participation in multilayer ecological networks
In every panel, we use the following acronyms for ecological functions: D for decomposition, H for herbivory, FP for fungal pathogenicity, NU for nutrient uptake, P for pollination, and SD for seed dispersal. a Concrete weighted biadjacency matrix P obtained for the Na Redona dataset, showing a stylized and statistically significant nested structure (see the text and Methods for details). b Visualization of the bipartite (resource-function) network. The nested pattern suggests that plant species participate in different functions in a hierarchical way, and the same applies to functions. Such hierarchy translates to nestedness-based rankings of functions and plant species (c, d, respectively), see Methods and SI for details on the statistical significance of these rankings. P can be pruned according to these rankings, showing a larger-than-random effect on secondary extinctions (see (d) in Figs. 4 and 5). These participation strength-based rankings are further confirmed by other rankings that suitably assess how species connect functions (and vice versa), see Figs. 4c and 5c).
