Dynamic Modeling for Marine Conservation

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xx

   PDF

2. Concepts and Techniques

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Introduction

      • Matthias Ruth, James Lindholm

      Pages 3-20

   3. Modeling in STELLA

      • Matthias Ruth, James Lindholm

      Pages 21-42

   4. Predator-Prey Dynamics

      • Matthias Ruth, James Lindholm

      Pages 43-53

   5. Epidemics in the Marine System

      • Matthias Ruth

      Pages 54-73

   6. Impact of Fishing Pressure on Mean Length of Fish

      • Matthias Ruth

      Pages 74-97

   7. Spatial Fisheries Model

      • Matthias Ruth

      Pages 98-121

3. Applications

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 123-123

      PDF

   2. Modeling Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions and Primary Productivity

      • Joe Grzymski, Mark A. Moline, Jay T. Cullen

      Pages 125-143

   3. Impact of Dynamic Light and Nutrient Environments on Phytoplankton Communities in the Coastal Ocean

      • Mark A. Moline, Oscar Schofield, Joe Grzymski

      Pages 144-163

   4. Modeling Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) Distributions in Great Bay, New Hampshire

      • Pamela M. Behm, Roelof M. J. Boumans

      Pages 164-190

   5. Life-Stage-Based Recovery Dynamics of Marine Invertebrates in Soft-Sediment Habitats

      • Andrew M. Lohrer, Robert B. Whitlatch

      Pages 191-213

   6. Horseshoe Crabs and Shorebirds

      • Mark Maguire, Matthias Ruth

      Pages 214-230

   7. Kelp, Urchins, and Otters in the California Coastal Region

      • Erin J. Tornatore, Matthias Ruth

      Pages 231-256

   8. Nile Perch Population Dynamics in Lake Victoria: Implications for Management and Conservation

      • Les Kaufman, Jesse Schwartz

      Pages 257-313

   9. Dynamics of Multiple Fish Species Under Variable Levels of Exploitation

      • Matthias Ruth, James Lindholm

      Pages 314-341

   10. Fish Population Responses to Sea Floor Habitat Alteration

       • James Lindholm, Peter Auster, Matthias Ruth, Les Kaufman

       Pages 342-355

   11. Management of the Commons: Social Behavior and Resource Extraction

       • Brynhildur Davidsdottir

       Pages 356-375

   12. An Age-Structured Model of Fish Population Enhancement

       • Richard Langton, James Lindholm, James Wilson, Sally Sherman

       Pages 376-394

The oceans are shrinking. They're not literally shrinking; warming in the last century has actually expanded the sea enough to threaten low-lying coastal lands that are vul­ nerable to storm surge. During the same interval, however, events on land have increasingly affected the sea. Since in most ways the Earth is a closed system-a zero-sum planet in today's parlance-as terrestrial influence on the sea expands, the sea's influence on its own processes shrinks. Control of many crucial marine processes no longer resides within the sea. The evidence for this is abundant and, to anyone who is looking, unmis­ takable. In recent decades scientists have witnessed unprecedented pertur­ bations and increases in previously uncommon events that demonstrate growing terrestrial influences on the sea. Numerous marine species, from sea urchins to monk seals, have experienced devastating epidemics. The number of harmful algal blooms and jellyfishpopulation explosions is rising An hypoxic "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico off the mouth of the Mississippi Rivernow appears each year and grows to encompass an area as large as NewJersey. Live coral cover in shallow reefs in Florida,Jamaica, the Maldives and many other locations has severely declined. Deepwater reef­ building corals, once widely distributed, have disappeared throughout much of their ranges. Researchers have discovered high concentrations of persis­ tent organic pollutants in declining populations of beluga whales and polar bears, both high trophic level predators in marine food webs.

• The commons
• aquaculture
• biodiversity
• ecosystem
• environment
• marine invertebrates
• phytoplankton
• plankton
• predator
• sustainability

From the reviews:

"The main aim of this book is to explore the ecological complexity in marine systems in the light of setting a new conservation agenda using the power of dynamic modeling via the graphical programming language of STELLA Research software. … I recommend this book to anyone interested in actively learning about and understanding the new challenges in marine conservation and related issues." (Andrea Belgrano, Ecology, Vol. 83 (9), 2002)

• Environmental Program School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland, College Park, USA

  Matthias Ruth

• Stellwagen Bank National, Marine Sanctuary, Scituate, USA

  James Lindholm

Policies and ethics