Theory 76/Ecosystem/Pollination networks
Network Stability Needs Generalists
The claim
The stability of a mutualistic network is set by the ratio of generalist to specialist links, so a network of specialists collapses when any partner is lost.
01Mechanism
Generalists buffer the loss of any one partner; specialists depend on a single link.
02Prediction
Robustness should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Robustness tracking species richness would remove link structure.