Articles
Using food webs as a functional indicator of global change
Received : 23 April 2026;
Published : 17 June 2026
References
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Abstract
The structure of trophic networks—that is, ‘who eats whom’—is a central element for understanding how aquatic ecosystems function and for anticipating the effects of global change. However, this information remains poorly documented in Europe, including within the framework of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Using monitoring data collected in France, we reconstructed trophic networks in water bodies by combining body size information with data from the scientific literature. An initial analysis of 67 sites revealed that the diversity and complexity of these networks vary greatly depending on lake morphology, productivity, and temperature. The latter already appears to be a major factor whose importance is expected to increase with climate change. By expanding our study to 257 water bodies, we showed that the influence of climate is not always direct: network structure is strongly modulated by invasive alien species. Climate change promotes their establishment, altering species richness and, in turn, the entire trophic network. Thus, trophic networks represent a promising tool for integrating biodiversity from a functional perspective and for better anticipating the ecological consequences of global change.
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