Coupling geometry on binary bipartite networks: hypotheses testing on pattern geometry and nestedness

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel coupling geometry framework for binary bipartite networks, enabling hypothesis testing on structural features like nestedness through multiscale block patterns and matrix mimicking.

Contribution

It develops a new geometric approach to analyze network structures, proposes a block-based nestedness index, and introduces the Data Mechanics paradigm for network analysis.

Findings

Coupling geometry reveals deterministic multiscale block patterns.

The new nestedness index outperforms existing measures.

The approach is validated on real network data.

Abstract

Upon a matrix representation of a binary bipartite network, via the permutation invariance, a coupling geometry is computed to approximate the minimum energy macrostate of a network's system. Such a macrostate is supposed to constitute the intrinsic structures of the system, so that the coupling geometry should be taken as information contents, or even the nonparametric minimum sufficient statistics of the network data. Then pertinent null and alternative hypotheses, such as nestedness, are to be formulated according to the macrostate. That is, any efficient testing statistic needs to be a function of this coupling geometry. These conceptual architectures and mechanisms are by and large still missing in community ecology literature, and rendered misconceptions prevalent in this research area. Here the algorithmically computed coupling geometry is shown consisting of deterministic multiscale block patterns, which are framed by two marginal ultrametric trees on row and column axes, and stochastic uniform randomness within each block found on the finest scale. Functionally a series of increasingly larger ensembles of matrix mimicries is derived by conforming to the multiscale block configurations. Here matrix mimicking is meant to be subject to constraints of row and column sums sequences. Based on such a series of ensembles, a profile of distributions becomes a natural device for checking the validity of testing statistics or structural indexes. An energy based index is used for testing whether network data indeed contains structural geometry. A new version block-based nestedness index is also proposed. Its validity is checked and compared with the existing ones. A computing paradigm, called Data Mechanics, and its application on one real data network are illustrated throughout the developments and discussions in this paper.