Data from: Multiple interaction networks: towards more realistic descriptions of the web of life

Ecological communities are defined by species interacting dynamically in a given location at a given time, and can be conveniently represented as networks of interactions. Pairwise interactions can be ascribed to one of five main types, depending on their outcome for the species involved: amensalism, antagonism (including predation, parasitism and disease), commensalism, competition or mutualism. While most studies have dealt so far with networks involving one single type of interaction at a time, often focusing on a specific clade and/or guild, recent studies are being developed that consider networks with more than one interaction type and across several levels of biological organisation. We review these developments and suggest that three main frameworks are in use to investigate the properties of multiple interactions networks: 'expanded food-webs', 'multilayer networks' and 'equal footing networks'. They differ on how interactions are classified and implemented in mathematical models, and on whether the effect of different interaction types is expressed in the same units. We analyse the mathematical and ecological assumptions of these three approaches, and identify some of the questions that can be addressed with each one of them. Since the overwhelming majority of multiple interaction studies are theoretical and use artificially generated data, we also provide recommendations for the incorporation of field data in such studies.生态群落被定义为在特定地点与时间内发生动态物种间相互作用的集合，可便捷地以相互作用网络的形式进行表征。 两两相互作用可根据其对参与物种的影响结果，划分为五大主要类型：偏害共生（amensalism）、拮抗作用（antagonism，包含捕食、寄生与病害）、偏利共生（commensalism）、竞争（competition）以及互利共生（mutualism）。 尽管目前绝大多数相关研究仅聚焦于单一类型相互作用的网络，且通常针对特定演化支（clade）或功能群（guild），但当前已有越来越多的研究开始关注包含多种相互作用类型、且涵盖多个生物组织层级的网络。 本文对这些研究进展进行了综述，并提出当前用于探究多相互作用网络特性的主流框架主要有三类：扩展食物网（expanded food-webs）、多层网络（multilayer networks）以及对等网络（equal footing networks）。 这三类框架的差异体现在相互作用的分类方式、数学模型中的实现逻辑，以及不同相互作用类型的效应是否采用统一单位进行表征。 本文对这三类研究方法的数学与生态学假设进行了分析，并梳理了每种方法可解决的典型科学问题。 鉴于当前绝大多数多相互作用研究均为理论研究且采用人工生成的数据集，本文同时针对此类研究中野外实测数据的融入方法提出了相关建议。