Introducing the bipartite Package: Analysing Ecological Networks

Introducing the bipartite Package: Analysing Ecological Networks

Vol. 8/2, October 2008 | Carsten F. Dormann, Bernd Gruber and Jochen Fründ
The chapter introduces the *bipartite* R-package, which is designed to analyze and visualize bipartite ecological networks, particularly those with only two trophic levels such as pollination webs and predator-prey systems. The package addresses the lack of software for calculating various indices and plotting tools for bipartite networks. It includes functions for visualizing networks using *plotweb* and *visweb*, and for calculating network metrics using *networklevel*. The *networklevel* function provides a comprehensive set of indices, including species-level and network-level measures, such as specialization, generality, vulnerability, and clustering coefficient. The package also includes 19 data sets on pollinator networks and null models to assess the significance of observed network patterns. The chapter highlights the importance of these tools in understanding the structure and dynamics of ecological networks, while also noting limitations and areas for future development.The chapter introduces the *bipartite* R-package, which is designed to analyze and visualize bipartite ecological networks, particularly those with only two trophic levels such as pollination webs and predator-prey systems. The package addresses the lack of software for calculating various indices and plotting tools for bipartite networks. It includes functions for visualizing networks using *plotweb* and *visweb*, and for calculating network metrics using *networklevel*. The *networklevel* function provides a comprehensive set of indices, including species-level and network-level measures, such as specialization, generality, vulnerability, and clustering coefficient. The package also includes 19 data sets on pollinator networks and null models to assess the significance of observed network patterns. The chapter highlights the importance of these tools in understanding the structure and dynamics of ecological networks, while also noting limitations and areas for future development.
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