Abstract
Transcending pairwise interactions in ecological networks remains a
challenge. Higher-order interactions, the modulation of a pairwise
interaction by a third species, have so far only been demonstrated in
models or small isolated systems. Their ubiquity at a community level
remains unknown. Using field experiments, we tested how multiple
interactions within a network changed with species composition by
reducing the densities of distinct species in a diverse arthropod
community. We revealed an extensive hidden network of higher-order
interactions modifying each other and the “visible” direct
interactions. Most pairwise interactions were affected by the
manipulation of a non-interacting taxonomic group. The pervasiveness of
these interaction modifications challenges pairwise approaches to
understanding interaction outcomes and could shift our thinking about
the structure and resilience of ecological communities.