Abstract
A simulation model has been described, based on data from Lake Grevelingen, The Netherlands, as a predictive tool for lake management. The model has been developed as part of a large-scale aquatic modelling effort in Lake Grevelingen, carried out in close cooperation with the Delft Hydraulics Laboratory and the Delta Department, Environmental Research Division of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works. Available data on growth rates per unit eelgrass biomass, obtained with the leaf-marking technique, and on above- en below ground biomass and shoot density changes per unit area have been used. A space limitation depending on density of the above ground biomass and a growth limitation due to shortage in below ground biomass have been introduced. The seasonal changes in eelgrass production, both above and below ground, have been simulated as functions of the external forcing variables light, water temperature, wind generated water movements and of the internal control variables due to aging of the plant material. The vertical distribution of eelgrass can be partly explained from the modelling results on space, light and below ground biomass limitations. From the shore down to about 1 m waterdepth the above ground eelgrass biomass suffers from space limitation. Between 1 and 2 m production and biomass reach maximum values. Between 2 and 3 m waterdepth the above ground eelgrass growth is limited by the availability of below ground biomass. Between 3 and 5 m waterdepth both below ground biomass and light are the growth-limiting factors. Below 5 m waterdepth light is not sufficient to sustain net growth of eelgrass from rhizomes. Together with additional data — not used in the model — on seed production and growth of eelgrass shoots from seeds the vertical and horizontal distribution of the dominant macrophyte in the lake can be explained.
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