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Trophic structure of the eastern Chukchi Sea : an updated mass balance food web model
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2016
[PDF-2.86 MB]
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Description:This is a 2010s update of the previous 1990s Ecopath trophic mass balance model of the eastern Chukchi Sea. In the time since the original 1990s model was developed, a number of datasets have been produced and several reports and journal articles published documenting the findings of recent field studies in the eastern Chukchi Sea, including the completion of the BOEM-funded Arctic Ecosystem Integrated Survey (Arctic Eis). In this report we use published and unpublished datasets from many of these recent studies to update several input parameters from the preliminary 1990s Ecopath model of eastern Chukchi Sea, so it is more representative of the current (2010s) state of the eastern Chukchi Sea food web. Overall, 93 input parameters were updated and the data quality was improved for 34 parameters. A total of 9 new functional groups were added, 6 for seabirds and 3 for fish. Here we document all model parameters that we were able to update with improved information, including estimates of biomass, production, consumption, and diet composition. Changes in the included species, the species composition of functional groups, and their related parameters resulted in higher biomass for marine mammals, seabirds, fish and zooplankton, and decreased biomass for benthic invertebrates, jellies, microbes, and phytoplankton. Additionally, we calculate several ecosystem-level metrics for both models and compare the results between the original model and our updated model. In both models, benthic invertebrates represent the dominant portion of total ecosystem biomass, and energy flow is dominated by benthic resources. Total energy flow, total production, total biomass, and net primary production decreased from the preliminary model to the updated model. A key result common to both the preliminary model and the updated model is that trawl-survey-derived estimates of demersal fish biomass were insufficient to balance the model. Fish biomass needed to be several times greater to meet the modeled trophic demand from predators. Changes in the ecosystem metrics are the reflection of the updated and improved (higher quality) model inputs, and do not necessarily reflect any change in ecosystem state between the two model time periods. Given the number of updated parameters and improved data quality in the updated model (2010s), we recommend using the updated model over the preliminary model (1990s) for future modeling studies and as a baseline of this system's food web. [doi:10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-318 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-318)]
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Content Notes:by G.A. Whitehouse, and K. Y. Aydin.
"April 2016."
doi:10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-318 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-318)
System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 121-163).
Whitehouse, G. A., and K. Y. Aydin. 2016. Trophic structure of the eastern Chukchi Sea: An updated mass balance food web model. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-AFSC-318, 175 p. doi:10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-318
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