Hierarchicalization of chaotic food webs using Interpretive Structural Modeling

Ecologists always meet complex food webs without clear hierarchical structure. At certain degree it will retard further analysis of food webs. In present study we transferred chaotic food webs into hierarchicalized food webs using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). As an example, the hierarchical structure of seven food webs was clearly identified and defined using ISM. ISM was thus proven to be effective.