INS 2-4 - Comparisons of open networks across space require established best practices: This is the way

Monday, August 15, 2022

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM EDT

Location: 520A

Presenting Author(s)

KB

Korryn Bodner

MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Canada

Co-author(s)

CB

Chris Brimacombe

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Canada
MF

Marie-Josée Fortin

University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Predicting networks across large spatial areas typically relies on data collected from multiple sources. Comparing networks from a single source can often help identify drivers of network structure, but due to unwanted structural heterogeneities, networks constructed by different authors may be as comparable as Wookies and Klingons. In the worst case, these unwanted heterogeneities arising from uncontrolled differences in sampling strategies, environmental factors, and biotic characteristics, can generate artificial structural differences between networks. Going forward, we must embrace the challenge of establishing best practices for using open networks as fear of doing so will only lead to the dark side.