Table. 2.

Network-level and group-level bipartite metrics and their definition

Metric Definition
Connectance The realized proportion of possible links.
Nestedness Nestedness temperature of the matrix (0 means cold, i.e. high nestedness, 100 means hot, i.e. chaos).
NODF Nestedness measure based on overlap and decreasing fill. High values indicate nestedness.
Interaction strength asymmetry The asymmetry in the interaction strength of two interacting species. Negative values indicate that the plants exert a stronger effect on pollinators.
Specialization asymmetry Asymmetry (higher vs. lower trophic level) of specialization. Negative values show a higher specialization of the lower trophic level.
Linkage density Marginal totals-weighted diversity of interactions per species (quantitative).
H2 H2 is a measure of specialization. H2 is between 0 and 1, with 1 indicating maximum specialization.
Web asymmetry The balance between numbers in the two levels: positive values indicate higher trophic level species, negative more lower-trophic level species.
Links per species Mean number of links per species (qualitative): sum of links divided by number of species.
Robustness HL Measure of the robustness of of the system to the loss of higher level (e.g., pollinator).
Robustness LL Measure of the robustness of the system to the loss of lower level (e.g., plants).
J Ecol Environ 2024;48:- https://doi.org/10.5141/jee.24.032
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