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Process-Based Modeling of Nutrient Cycles and Food-Web Dynamics

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Ecological Informatics

Abstract

Mathematical models are indispensable for addressing pressing aquatic ecosystem management issues, such as understanding the oceanic response to climate change, the interplay between plankton dynamics and atmospheric CO2 levels, and alternative management plans for eutrophication control. The appeal of process-based (mechanistic) models mainly stems from their ability to synthesize among different types of information reflecting our best understanding of the ecosystem functioning, to identify the key individual relationships and feedback loops from a complex array of intertwined ecological processes, and to probe ecosystem behavior using a range of model application domains. Significant progress in developing and applying mechanistic aquatic biogeochemical models has been made during the last three decades. Many of these ecological models have been coupled with hydrodynamic models and include detailed biogeochemical/biological processes that enable comprehensive assessment of system behavior under various conditions. In this chapter, case studies illustrate ecological models with different spatial configurations. Given that each segmentation depicts different trade-offs among model complexity, information gained, and predictive uncertainty, our objective is to draw parallels and ultimately identify the strengths and weaknesses of each strategy.

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Acknowledgements

The Cootes Paradise modeling project has received funding support from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (Canada-Ontario Grant Agreement 120808). The Lake Simcoe modeling project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Department of the Environment. We also thank the South Australian Water Corporation for financial and logistic support for studying the Millbrook and Mt Bold reservoirs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, ON, Canada

    George Arhonditsis

  2. University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Friedrich Recknagel

  3. CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Klaus Joehnk

Authors
  1. George Arhonditsis
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  2. Friedrich Recknagel
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  3. Klaus Joehnk
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to George Arhonditsis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Friedrich Recknagel

  2. College of University Libraries, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

    William K. Michener

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Arhonditsis, G., Recknagel, F., Joehnk, K. (2018). Process-Based Modeling of Nutrient Cycles and Food-Web Dynamics. In: Recknagel, F., Michener, W. (eds) Ecological Informatics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59928-1_10

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