INSTAR,a discrete event model for simulating zooplankton population dynamics

In this paper we discuss the basic principles of discrete event, individual oriented, data based modelling in ecology, and we present an application of this modelling strategy. The strategy is contrasted with some more conventional modelling strategies with respect to its purpose, its basic units and its heuristic properties.INSTAR applies this modelling strategy to the simulation of the fluctuations of the population structure and density of microcrustaceans through the year. The model encompasses one microcrustacean species at a time, and its interface with the rest of the ecosystem; it has been applied to several Cladocera and Copepoda species in a shallow eutrophic lake in the Netherlands (Vijverberg & Richter 1982a, b). Possibilities for extending the model are discussed.