Biological interactions (e.g., mutualistic and predator-prey interactions) is one of the　primary factors shaping ecological communities. That is, ecological networks composed by these interactions are the driving forces for community dynamics. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of ecological networks is critical for successful ecological restoration. However, previous studies have separated ecological networks to subsets of networks based on interaction types (e.g., antagonistic and mutualistic networks) and focused only on one subset. In fact, antagonistic and mutualistic interactions can reciprocally affect the strength and outcome of each interaction. Therefore, we need to integrate antagonistic and mutualistic network as a multilayer network and clarify the structure in restoration applications.
In this study, we investigated the structure of multilayer networks composed of antagonistic　and mutualistic interactions in forest restoration. In particular, we examined 1) aboveground plant-arthropod network, 2) belowground plant-symbiont network, 3) multilayer network structure composed of both of them, and 4) the effects of plant diversity on multilayer network structure.
We created an experimental landslide field, and set up monoculture and polyculture plots, using two woody plant species. We collected eDNA on leaves and fungal DNA from roots in 2022, and performed metabarcoding analyses. In this talk, these results will be discussed.