Trophic flow kinetics in marine ecosystems: Toward a theoretical approach to ecosystem functioning

Didier Gascuel, Lyne Morissette, Maria Lourdes D. Palomares and Villy Christensen

Ecological Modelling, 2008, vol. 217, issue 1, 33-47

Abstract: Based on a theoretical approach, Gascuel showed that trophic flow kinetics is a key characteristic of ecosystems’ functioning, partly determining their response to human disturbances such as fishing pressure. The kinetics quantifies the speed of the trophic flow, i.e., the velocity of biomass transfers from low to upper trophic levels, due to predation and/or ontogeny. In the present paper, we show that the production/biomass (P/B) ratio, used in many ecosystem models and particularly in the EwE software, can be considered a measure of this speed of the trophic flow. We propose an empirical model that expresses the P/B ratio as a generic function of the trophic level (τ) and the mean water temperature (θ).

Keywords: Marine ecosystem; Ecosystem functioning; Ecosystem modelling; Trophic level; Trophic flow kinetics; P/B ratios; Empirical relationships; Fishing impact; Ecosystems resilience; Ecopath (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:217:y:2008:i:1:p:33-47

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2008.05.012

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