Graph embedding and transfer learning can help predict potential species interaction networks despite data limitations

Autor: Tanya Strydom, Salomé Bouskila, Francis Banville, Ceres Barros, Dominique Caron, Maxwell J. Farrell, Marie‐Josée Fortin, Benjamin Mercier, Laura J. Pollock, Rogini Runghen, Giulio V. Dalla Riva, Timothée Poisot
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Vol 14, Iss 12, Pp 2917-2930 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2041-210X
DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.14228
Popis: Abstract Metawebs (networks of potential interactions within a species pool) are a powerful abstraction to understand how large‐scale species interaction networks are structured. Because metawebs are typically expressed at large spatial and taxonomic scales, assembling them is a tedious and costly process; predictive methods can help circumvent the limitations in data deficiencies, by providing a first approximation of metawebs. One way to improve our ability to predict metawebs is to maximize available information by using graph embeddings, as opposed to an exhaustive list of species interactions. Graph embedding is an emerging field in machine learning that holds great potential for ecological problems. Here, we outline how the challenges associated with inferring metawebs line‐up with the advantages of graph embeddings; followed by a discussion as to how the choice of the species pool has consequences on the reconstructed network, specifically as to the role of human‐made (or arbitrarily assigned) boundaries and how these may influence ecological hypotheses.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals