Urbanization is a significant driver of the loss of biodiversity and the disruption of ecosystems. Amphibians are especially vulnerable to the negative impact of urbanization as their life cycles and habitat requirements are complex. The present study investigated the effects of urbanization on amphibian predation networks in suburban Kunming in Yunnan, China and aimed to understand how predation network structure and stability vary with urbanization level. We constructed predation networks by analyzing the stomach contents of amphibians from 12 distinct urbanization gradients. We used the bipartite package in R to evaluate network robustness metrics such as modularity, nestedness, connectivity, and average shortest path length (ASPL). We found that urbanization level is negatively correlated with predation network connectivity (R = -0.67, P = 0.02), but there were no significant correlations between urbanization level and nestedness, modularity, or ASPL. Removal of the keystone species destabilized the predation networks at certain locations. The present work highlighted that maintaining prey quantity and diversity preserves predation network connectivity and stabilizes the overall network in urbanizing landscapes. It also underscored the critical role that keystone species play in sustaining network robustness. The results of this research provided insights into the ecological consequences of urbanization. They also suggested that conservation measures should protect the key species and habitats of amphibian predation networks and mitigate the negative impact of urban development on them.
Qi Sheng Li (Thu,) studied this question.