Table 3.
Summary of calculated key topological food-web metrics for each of the four subwebs in the three compartments
| Metric | Web | Predator–prey | Predator–prey + parasite-host (no predator-parasite + no parasite-parasite) | Predator–prey + parasite-host + predator-parasite (no parasite-parasite) | Predator–prey + parasite-host + predator-parasite + parasite-parasite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nodes | Pelagic | 37 | 53 | 53 | 53 |
| Benthic | 98 | 128 | 128 | 128 | |
| Whole-lake | 128 | 174 | 174 | 174 | |
| Observed links | Pelagic | 209 | 277 | 512 | 512 |
| Benthic | 1731 | 1943 | 3244 | 3270 | |
| Whole-lake | 2017 | 2347 | 4250 | 4276 | |
| Trophic levels | Pelagic | 4.4 | 4.7 | 9.2 | 9.2 |
| Benthic | 3.8 | 4.3 | 8.8 | 9.3 | |
| Whole-lake | 4.0 | 4.5 | 10.4 | 10.6 | |
| Longest chain | Pelagic | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Benthic | 6.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | |
| Whole-lake | 7.0 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | |
| Linkage density | Pelagic | 5.65 | 5.23 | 9.66 | 9.66 |
| Benthic | 17.66 | 15.18 | 25.34 | 25.55 | |
| Whole-lake | 15.76 | 13.49 | 24.43 | 24.57 | |
| Connectance | Pelagic | 0.153 | 0.099 | 0.182 | 0.182 |
| Benthic | 0.180 | 0.119 | 0.198 | 0.200 | |
| Whole-lake | 0.123 | 0.078 | 0.140 | 0.141 | |
| Adjusted connectance | Pelagic | – | 0.141 | 0.201 | – |
| Benthic | – | 0.155 | 0.210 | – | |
| Whole-lake | – | 0.105 | 0.151 | – | |
| Mean degree | Pelagic | 11.30 (± 6.78) | 10.45 (± 8.31) | 19.32 (± 10.39) | 19.32 (± 10.39) |
| Benthic | 35.33 (± 17.47) | 30.36 (± 21.15) | 50.69 (± 26.57) | 51.09 (± 26.90) | |
| Whole-lake | 31.52 (± 19.03) | 26.98 (± 21.53) | 48.85 (± 30.36) | 49.15 (± 30.68) | |
| Mean generality | Pelagic | 5.65 (± 5.65) | 5.23 (± 5.09) | 7.70 (± 8.63)a | 9.66 (± 9.27) |
| Benthic | 17.66 (± 19.06) | 15.18 (± 17.64) | 22.36 (± 21.84)a | 25.55 (± 25.80) | |
| Whole-lake | 15.76 (± 18.46) | 13.49 (± 16.67) | 20.38 (± 21.88)a | 24.57 (± 27.20) | |
| Mean vulnerability | Pelagic | 5.65 (± 4.18) | 5.23 (± 5.59) | 9.66 (± 6.59) | 9.66 (± 6.59) |
| Benthic | 17.66 (± 11.04) | 15.18 (± 11.96) | 25.34 (± 17.48) | 25.55 (± 17.91) | |
| Whole-lake | 15.76 (± 10.82) | 13.49 (± 11.73) | 24.42 (± 18.71) | 24.57 (± 19.09) |
Bold values denote those used for metric comparisons among compartments
aGenerality for the predator–prey + parasite-host + predator-parasite subwebs was calculated without concomitant predation because these interactions do not contribute to the free-living predator’s host breadth and do not factor into the movement of energy in a food web (Morton and Lafferty 2022)