Emergent copepod communities in an adaptive trait-structured model

作者：Record N R^*; Pershing A J; Maps F

来源：Ecological Modelling, 2013, 260: 11-24.

DOI：10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2013.03.018

• Copepod
• Adaptive model
• Community model
• Trait-structured model

Population dynamics for the most dominant copepod species have to some degree a mechanistic underpinning grounded in theory. However, important ecosystem shifts involve whole communities of species. Algorithms adopted from evolutionary computation provide one avenue for understanding community-level properties. We developed a pelagic copepod community model based on ecological tradeoffs in trait space, with a focus on development and growth rates, which determine fundamental properties such as size and generation length. The model is generalized to represent a broad range of possible copepod taxa. We used this framework in an adaptive-computing context to examine the different communities that assemble under different temperature and food regimes across a latitudinal gradient. Emergent communities resembled observed communities in structure and biodiversity, and showed life history strategies with clear analogs to real species.

• 出版日期2013-7-10