Benthic and fish aggregation inside an offshore wind farm: Which effects on the trophic web functioning?

As part of the energy transition, the French government is planning the construction of three offshore wind farms in Normandy (Bay of Seine and eastern part of the English Channel, north-western France) in the next years. These offshore wind farms will be integrated into an ecosystem already facing multiple anthropogenic disturbances such as maritime transport, fisheries, oyster and mussel farming, and sediment dredging. Currently no integrated, ecosystem-based study on the effects of the construction and exploitation of offshore wind farms exists, where biological approaches generally focused on the conservation of some valuable species or groups of species. Complementary trophic web modelling tools were applied to the Bay of Seine ecosystem (to the 50 km² area covered by the wind farm) to analyse the potential impacts of benthos and fish aggregation caused by the introduction of additional hard substrates from the piles and the turbine scour protections. An Ecopath ecosystem model composed of 37 compartments, from phytoplankton to seabirds, was built to describe the situation “before” the construction of the wind farm. Then, an Ecosim projection over 30 years was performed after increasing the biomass of targeted benthic and fish compartments. Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) indices were calculated for the two periods, “before” and “after”, to compare network functioning and the overall structural properties of the food web. Our main results showed (1) that the total ecosystem activity, the overall system omnivory (proportion of generalist feeders), and the recycling increased after the construction of the wind farm; (2) that higher trophic levels such as piscivorous fish species, marine mammals, and seabirds responded positively to the aggregation of biomass on piles and turbine scour protections; and (3) a change in keystone groups after the construction towards more structuring and dominant compartments. Nonetheless, these changes could be considered as limited impacts of the wind farm installation on this coastal trophic web structure and functioning.     

Mass-balanced trophic and loop models of complex benthic systems in northern Chile (SE Pacific) to improve sustainable interventions: a comparative analysis

The capacity to withstand perturbations and the propagation of direct and indirect effects of harvesting were explored in seagrass and sand–gravel subtidal subsystems of northern Chile using Ecopath II, Ecosim and Loop Analysis theoretical frameworks. The relative Ascendancy and Redundancy from Ecopath II and Ecosim models and the holistic stability measure (F _n ) given by Loop Analysis, all suggest that the sand–gravel subsystem is the more resistant and its fishery more sustainable. This outcome is relevant since the theoretical frameworks used are based on different assumptions but arrive at similar conclusions. If the fishery is included in the qualitative ecological models, which were found locally stable only when the fishery is self-controlled. While this conclusion is not new, its relevance here is that it emerges from qualitative multispecies modelling (Loop Analysis). Based on our model predictions, the biomass removal of the sea star Meyenaster gelatinosus would increase the standing stock of the commercial scallop Argopecten purpuratus only in the seagrass habitat, whereas the same man-made intervention may have an opposite effect in the sand–gravel habitat. We recommend to enunciate holistic models based on the theoretical framework used in the current work, which explore the reality from different perspectives assuming different givens. Based on these holistic explorations alternative and complementary management scenarios could be designed. Handling editor: T. P. Crowe     

Evaluating Network Analysis Indicators of Ecosystem Status in the Gulf of Alaska

This is the first study on the emergent properties for empirical ecosystem models that have been validated by time series information. Ecosystem models of the western and central Aleutian Islands and Southeast Alaska were used to examine indices of ecosystem status generated from network analysis and incorporated into Ecopath with Ecosim. Dynamic simulations of the two ecosystems over the past 40 years were employed to examine if these indices reflect the dissimilar changes that occurred in the ecosystems. The results showed that the total systems throughput (TST) and ascendancy (A) followed the climate change signature (Pacific decadal oscillation, PDO) in both ecosystems, whereas the redundancy (R) followed the inverse trend. The different trajectories for important species such as Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius), pollock (Theragra chalcograma), herring (Clupea pallasii), Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) and halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) were noticeable in the Finn cycling index (FCI), entropy (H) and average mutual information (AMI): not showing large change during the time that the Stellers sea lions, herring, Pacific cod, halibut and arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) increased in Southeast Alaska, but showing large declines during the decline of Steller sea lions, sharks, Atka mackerel and arrowtooth flounder in the Aleutians. On the whole, there was a change in the emergent properties of the Aleutians around 1976 that was not seen in Southeast Alaska. Conversely, the emergent properties of both systems showed a change around 1988, which indicated that both systems were unstable after 1988.     

基于生态通道模型的北部湾渔业管理策略的评价

北部湾位于南海17°00′-21°45′N,105°40′-110°10′E,为中越两国共同管辖的天然半封闭海湾。根据1997-1999年在北部湾进行的渔业资源和生态环境调查数据,利用EwE软件构建了北部湾生态系统的营养通道模型（Ecopath）。在此基础上,以30a为周期,利用Ecosim中的“渔业管理者”模拟了不同管理策略（经济效益最大化、社会效益最大化、生态效益最大化以及综合考虑三者的最佳管理）对北部湾捕捞结构的影响。结果表明：以经济利益最大化为管理策略时会提高所有渔具的捕捞努力量,除了拖网下降43.2%之外;以社会利益最大化为管理策略时模型要求极大地增加小型渔业,尤其是混合渔业的捕捞努力量将上升3.34倍;而以生态稳定性最大化为管理目标时,模型要求所有渔业的捕捞努力量都必须降低甚至停止。以经济和社会利益最大化为管理目标对不同的vulnerability（V＇s）值的反应敏感,高营养级种类减少而低营养级种增加,其中社会利益最大化时系统的营养级最低（2.78）;而生态稳定性和综合管理目标最大化则对不同的敏感度的反应较为一致。综合考虑经济、社会和生态效应的最佳管理策略能满足渔业和保育目标的平衡,有望成为最佳的管理策略。由此可见,多鱼种捕捞策略的模拟是个复杂的任务,目标功能有时互相冲突,而且易受到初始模型条件的影响。     

基于CiteSpace的EwE模型文献计量学与可视化分析

为探究EwE(Ecopath with Ecosim)模型的历史演变和应用现状,本文通过Web of Science主题检索和引文链接法获得1984-2020年间的研究文献构成核心数据集和扩展数据集,并以此为数据源,从论文分布、研究力量、研究主题、热点演化等方面进行科学文献计量分析,利用CiteSpace软件绘制相关图...     

Using an Ecosystem Modeling Approach to Explore Possible Ecosystem Impacts of Fishing in the Beibu Gulf,Northern South China Sea

Using the Ecopath with Ecosim software, a trophic structure model of the Beibu Gulf was constructed to explore the energy flows and provide a snapshot of the ecosystem operations. Input data were mainly from the trawl survey data collected from October 1998 to September 1999 and related literatures. The impacts of various fishing pressure on the biomass were examined by simulation at different fishing mortality rates. The model consists of 20 functional groups (boxes), each representing organisms with a similar role in the food web, and only covers the major trophic flows in the Beibu Gulf ecosystem. It was found that the food web of the Beibu Gulf was dominated by the primary producers path, and phytoplankton was the primary producer mostly used as a food source. The fractional trophic levels ranged from 1.0 to 4.02, and the marine mammals occupied the highest trophic level. Using network analysis, the ecosystem network was mapped into a linear food chain, and six discrete trophic levels were found with a mean transfer efficiency of 11.2%. The Finn cycling index was 9.73%. The path length was 1.821. The omnivory index was 0.197. The ecosystem had some degree of instability due to exploitation and other human activities, according to Odum’s theory of ecosystem development. A 10-year simulation was performed for each fishery scenario. The fishing mortality rate was found to have a strong impact on the biomass. By keeping the fishing mortality rate at the current level for all fishing sectors, scenario 1 had a drastic decrease in the large fish groups. The biomass of the small and medium pelagic fish would increase to some extent. The biomass of the small and low trophic level species, jellyfish, prawns and benthic crustaceans would be stable. The total biomass of the fishery resources would have a 10% decrease from the current biomass after 10 years. In contrast, the reduced fishing mortality rate induced the recovery of biomass (scenarios 2–4). In scenario 2, the biomass of the large demersal fish and the large pelagic fish would increase to over 16 times and 10 times, respectively, of their current level. In scenario 4, the biomass of the large pelagic fish would increase to over 3 times of its current level. The total biomass of the fish groups, especially the high trophic level groups, would become significantly higher after 10 years, which illustrates the contribution on biomass recovery by relaxing the fishing pressure. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Author contributions: Xiaoping Jia designed research; Zuozhi Chen and Yongsong Qiu performed research; Zuozhi Chen, Yongsong Qiu, and Shannan Xu analyzed data; and Zuozhi Chen and Shannan Xu wrote the article.     

Fishery-induced changes in a marine ecosystem: insight from models of the Gulf of Thailand

Two mass-balance trophic models are constructed to describe the Gulf of Thailand ecosystem (10–50 m depth): one model pertains to the initial phase of fisheries development, and the other to when the resources were severely depleted. The two phases are compared, and changes brought about by fishing discussed. A dynamic simulation model, Ecosim, is then used successfully to reproduce the 1980 state of the fishery based on the 1963 model and the development in catches. In addition the 1980 model is used to predict how the ecosystem groups may bounce back following marked reduction in fishing pressure. Finally, the 1963 model is used to study alternative scenarios for how the fisheries development could take place, notably the effect of exploiting only the resources of larger species. The study validates that the Ecosim model can be used to predict ecosystem level changes following changes in fishing pressure, therefore fishing induced changes can to a large extent explain the changes in ecosystem pools and fluxes observed over time.     

竺山湾湖泊缓冲带湿地生态系统EWE模型构建与分析

湖泊缓冲带在湖泊流域空间布局中具有特殊地位,缓冲带内的湿地对于保障流域生态健康和湖泊水环境质量具有十分重要的意义.本研究以太湖竺山湾湖泊缓冲带内的竺山湖湿地生态系统为研究对象,将生物组分划分为16个功能组,构建了生态通道(EWE)模型,并分析了生态系统的特征、状态以及功能组之间的相互关系.结果表明: 竺山湖湿地生态系统的有效营养级范围在1~3.72,营养流动主要发生在前4个营养级,开始于沉水植物和有机碎屑的食物链较多.湿地生态系统的总的能量转换效率为5.1%,并未达到“1/10定律”,说明当前的能量转换效率较低.物质流量在生态系统中的平均传输效率为4.3%.系统的总生产量为2496.66 t·km^-2·a^-1,总流量为10145.2 t·km^-2·a^-1.生态系统的多种特征参数表明当前生态系统处于幼态化阶段.     

How to value biodiversity in environmental management?

Biodiversity is globally recognised as a cornerstone of healthy ecosystems, and biodiversity conservation is increasingly becoming one of the important aims of environmental management. Evaluating the trade-offs of alternative management strategies requires quantitative estimates of the costs and benefits of their outcomes, including the value of biodiversity lost or preserved. This paper takes a decision-analytic standpoint, and reviews and discusses the alternative aspects of biodiversity valuation by dividing them into three categories: socio-cultural, economic, and ecological indicator approaches. We discuss the interplay between these three perspectives and suggest integrating them into an ecosystem-based management (EBM) framework, which permits us to acknowledge ecological systems as a rich mixture of interactive elements along with their social and economic aspects. In this holistic framework, socio-cultural preferences can serve as a tool to identify the ecosystem services most relevant to society, whereas monetary valuation offers more globally comparative and understandable values. Biodiversity indicators provide clear quantitative measures and information about the role of biodiversity in the functioning and health of ecosystems. In the multi-objective EBM approach proposed in the paper, biodiversity indicators serve to define threshold values (i.e., the minimum level required to maintain a healthy environment). An appropriate set of decision-making criteria and the best method for conducting the decision analysis depend on the context and the management problem in question. Therefore, we propose a sequence of steps to follow when quantitatively evaluating environmental management against biodiversity.     

基于Ecopath模型的千岛湖生态系统结构和功能分析

为探索千岛湖生态系统现状及其历史变化, 根据2016年千岛湖的渔业资源与生态环境调查数据, 构建了千岛湖生态系统的 Ecopath 模型, 综合分析系统的能量流动过程、营养级结构和生态系统总体特征。2016年千岛湖 Ecopath 模型由18个功能组组成, 有效营养级范围为1—3.41, 牧食食物链的能量流动占系统总能量的56%。系统杂食指数(SOI)、联结指数(CI)、Finn循环指数分别为0.13, 0.26和5.15%。千岛湖与其他湖泊和水库比较, 其生态系统的各功能组的聚合度较高, 联结程度较为紧密, 物质再循环比例较高, 系统较为成熟。但千岛湖的系统总流量较低为24698.27 t/(km2·a), 总初级生产量与总呼吸量的比值为6.51, 表明系统总体规模较小且仍处于发展阶段。根据千岛湖生态系统历年变化趋势分析: 千岛湖生态系统的总体规模有变大趋势, 稳定性和复杂性有所增强, 但营养交互关系变弱, 系统抵抗外界干扰的能力仍较低。同时, 千岛湖生态系统的初级生产者转化效率较低, 食物网趋于简单, 应采取适当的管理措施, 以保障千岛湖生态系统的健康发展。