Interactions between food web pressures
Food webs are processes which involve the transfer of energy and trophic interactions between compartments, rather than components, of the ecosystem. The intrinsic complexity of interconnections in trophic chains makes it difficult to perform an assessment based on a bow-tie analysis. Drivers, Activities and Pressures can be linked to many different compartments and interact across many levels of the ecosystem, which may trigger cascading effects (e.g., topdown, bottom up). For bow-tie analysis to be effective, the use of a complex food web assessment is needed in order to better identify specific links. Bow-tie analysis was therefore not included in the QSR 2023 food web thematic assessment. An indication of these interactions can be gained from the individual thematic assessments for: Marine Birds Thematic Assessment , Marine Mammals Thematic Assessment , Fish Thematic Assessment , Benthic Habitats Thematic Assessment , Pelagic Habitats Thematic Assessment
| Response | Climate Change |