Reproduce “Symmetries of weighted networks: weight approximation method and its application to food webs” on OpenResearch

About this paper

Julia Korol, Mateusz Iskrzyński

This research develops a weight approximation method to enable symmetry analysis in empirical weighted networks, overcoming the limitation of traditional methods that require exact edge weight equality. Applying this to 250 food webs, the study reveals that while exact symmetries are rare, minimal weight aggregation uncovers widespread symmetries, primarily involving small groups of species at intermediate trophic levels.

Key insights

• Symmetry is extremely rare in empirical weighted networks but emerges rapidly with even minimal weight aggregation, revealing hidden structural patterns.
• Symmetric orbits in food webs are predominantly small (2-3 vertices), supporting the ecological principle that few species occupy truly identical functional roles.
• The method helps identify functional equivalences among species within ecosystems, often at intermediate trophic levels, by revealing groups that can be interchanged without altering the network's approximated structure.

Summary by alphaXiv.