关键词: 食物网结构, 生态平衡, 复杂性-稳定性悖论, 网络拓扑分析

Abstract: The stability of food webs is a hot topic in food web studies. It determines the capacity of food webs to maintain their structure and functions under disturbances, and generally involves multi-dimensional assessments including persistence, resistance, resilience, and robustness. We focused on the theoretical basis of food web stability. Starting from the “complexity-stability paradox” and the controversies it has triggered, we reviewed the structural characteristics of food webs and their responses to disturbances, and summarized the research progress and main research directions of local stability and overall stability. We further reviewed the research methods for food web stability, ranging from traditional field investigations to emerging technologies based on big data and machine learning, highlighting that interdisciplinary integration represents the future trend of methodological development in this field. The traditional modeling methods and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence each have distinct advantages and limitations. Future research should promote their integration by drawing on each other’s strengths and compensating for respective weaknesses, to advance key research directions including the construction of multi-scale dynamic coupling models, the analysis of critical threshold mechanisms, and the identification of early warning signals. This review provides a systematic framework for understanding the operational mechanisms of food web stability and offers a reference for addressing ecosystem transformations induced by climate change and human activities.

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