This study investigates whether aquatic (blue) and terrestrial (green) food webs respond similarly to shared environmental gradients. Using empirical community data from hundreds of sites across Switzerland and a metaweb synthesis of interaction information, the researchers show that blue and green food webs exhibit different structural and ecological properties along elevation and among land-use types. Green food webs show increased modular structure and decreased consumer diet niche overlap with elevation, while the opposite is observed in blue food webs. These differences are most pronounced in farmland habitats, indicating that anthropogenic modification interacts with climate effects on food webs differently in aquatic and terrestrial systems. The findings highlight structural differences between blue and green food webs and suggest potential divergent responses to future land-use and climate changes.

Hsi-Cheng Ho, Jakob Brodersen, Martin M. Gossner, Catherine H. Graham, Silvana Kaeser, Merin Reji Chacko, Ole Seehausen, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Loïc Pellissier, Florian Altermatt