Quantitative vs. Semiquantitative Ecosystem Models: Comparing Alternate Representations of an Estuarine Ecosystem

Abstract

ABSTRACT Vasslides, J.M. and Jensen, O.P., 2017. Quantitative vs. semiquantitative ecosystem models: Comparing alternate representations of an estuarine ecosystem. In: Buchanan, G.A.; Belton, T.J., and Paudel, B. (eds.), A Comprehensive Assessment of Barnegat Bay–Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. As the management of marine and coastal resources continues to move toward an ecosystem-based approach, there is a need for tools that can match the scope and complexity of the systems in question. This article contrasts the strengths and weaknesses of two types of models that can be used to understand ecosystem-level changes: Ecopath with Ecosim, a whole-ecosystem trophic-based quantitative model, and a semiquantitative fuzzy cognitive mapping conceptual model developed by local stakeholders. It also compares the modeled results of reducing nutrient loads to a temperate estuary to understand how the different approaches can be best utilized to meet the needs of resource managers. Both models responded to the nutrie...