Topological tools for evaluating the structural importance of Sea turtles in trophic networks

The use of topological analysis tools in marine trophic networks offers a wide range of possibilities to investigate how the different species are involved in the structuring of a network, as well as to evaluate how important they can be in their organization. This approach allows us to identify the importance of the species from its connectivity and its contribution to the spread of direct and indirect effects in the network and to determine their participation in the mechanisms of ecosystem control. This, to determine if they can be considered as keystone species. Topological analysis will be conducted using a data base from the trophic network of Bahia Magdalena (Mexican Pacific) to determine if green turtles (Chelonia mydas) can be considered a highly important structural species based on their connectivity, betweenness centrality and closeness centrality, key species or even species with low topological redundancy, which would give them an important role in the network. Furthermore, the results will deliver evidence on how sea turtles are involved in the different mechanisms of ecosystem control, and whether the absence of these organisms could create major structural gaps in the organization of the network, such as to affect the identified large-scale patterns.