A biodiversity-inspired approach to aquatic ecosystem modeling
Bruggeman, J. and Kooijman, S. A. L. M. 2007.
A biodiversity-inspired approach to aquatic ecosystem modeling.
Limnol Oceanogr : to appear
Abstract
Current aquatic ecosystem models accommodate increasing amounts of
physiological detail, but marginalize the role of biodiversity by
aggregating multitudes of different species. We propose that at
present, understanding of aquatic ecosystems is likely to benefit more
from improved descriptions of biodiversity and succession than from
incorporation of more realistic physiology. To illustrate how
biodiversity can be accounted for, we define the System of Infinite
Diversity (SID), which characterizes ecosystems in the spirit of
Complex Adaptive Systems theory as single units adapting to
environmental pressure. The SID describes an ecosystem with one
generic population model and continuity in species-characterizing
parameters, and acquires rich dynamics by modeling succession as
evolution of the parameter value distribution. This is illustrated by
a 4-parameter phytoplankton model that minimizes physiological detail,
but includes a sophisticated representation of community diversity and
interspecific differences. This model captures several well-known
aquatic ecosystem features, including formation of a deep chlorophyll
maximum and Margalef-like nutrient-driven seasonal succession. As
such, it integrates theories on changes in species composition in both
time and space. We argue that despite a lack of physiological detail,
SIDs may ultimately prove a valuable tool for further qualitative and
quantitative understanding of ecosystems.