Best practice in Ecopath with Ecosim food-web models for ecosystem-based management
Scottish Association For Marine Science · Institut de Recherche pour le Développement · +7 more institutions
Abstract
Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) models are easier to construct and use compared to most other ecosystem modelling techniques and are therefore more widely used by more scientists and managers. This, however, creates a problem with quality assurance; to address this we provide an overview of best practices for creating Ecopath models. We describe the diagnostics that can be used to check for thermodynamic and ecological principles, and highlight principles that should be used for balancing a model. We then highlight the pitfalls when comparing Ecopath models using Ecological Network Analysis indices. For dynamic simulations in Ecosim we show the state of the art in calibrating the model by fitting it to time series…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 26.08
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 85
Authors
7- JJJohanna J. HeymansCorresponding
Scottish Association For Marine Science
- MCMarta Coll
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut de Ciències del Mar, Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation
- JSJason S. Link
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
- SMSteven Mackinson
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
- JSJeroen Steenbeek
Ecopath International Initiative
Topics & keywords
- Food web
- Ecosystem
- Environmental science
- Ecology
- Computer science
- Biology
Funding
- DFDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK GovernmentAwards: NE/L003279/1, M1228
- SRSight Research UKAwards: NE/L003279/1, NE/L003058/1
- ECEuropean CommissionAwards: EU FP7, 266544
- NSNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaAwards: RGPIN-2014, RGPIN-2014-05782
- NENatural Environment Research CouncilAwards: NE/L003279/1, NE/L003058/1, NE/L003279/1, L003279/1