Abstract
Food webs are representations of the trophic interactions within an ecological community, and have attracted considerable scientific interest during the last decades. For the most part, this interest has revolved around the search for general patterns and around population dynamical questions such as the long standing controversy of stability versus complexity. Only a handful of the published studies have considered food webs on an evolutionary time-scale.
In this talk I will give an introduction to food web theory and discuss the major challenges facing food web modellers. I will end by giving an example of a size-structured model of the Baltic Sea food web which we are using to explore evolutionary changes in size at maturation caused by intense and size-selective exploitation.
Other information
The CEES seminar room has a coffee-machine – it is therefore recommended that you come a bit earlier and get yourself a good cup of coffee (for the price of 3 NOK).