Contrasting Roles of Threatened and Non‐Threatened Species in European Food Webs

Aim Assess the structural importance of threatened and non‐threatened species within European food webs by quantifying their roles in maintaining network connectivity. Location Europe. Methods We constructed a dataset of local potential food webs by combining species distribution data with a European metaweb of tetrapod trophic interactions (Tetra‐EU 1.0). Next, we added information on species' threat statuses and assessed their ecological importance using node‐level network structural metrics within the food web. These metrics included in‐degree (number of prey species), out‐degree (number of predator species), trophic level (species' vertical position in the food web), betweenness centrality (frequency with which a species lies on the shortest paths between all other species), closeness centrality (proximity of a species to all others in the network), and the integrated value of influence (a composite measure to identify the most influential species, capturing both direct and indirect effects). Results While threatened species occasionally hold key ecological roles in specific regions (e.g., the Iberian Peninsula), non‐threatened species more frequently exhibit a high integrated value of influence and betweenness centrality, underscoring their substantial contributions to overall potential food web integrity. Main Conclusions We highlight the importance of integrating threatened and non‐threatened species into conservation strategies, recognising their complementary roles in maintaining food web stability.