IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecomod/v220y2009i17p2088-2102.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Decadal changes in a NW Mediterranean Sea food web in relation to fishing exploitation

Author

Listed:
  • Coll, Marta
  • Palomera, Isabel
  • Tudela, Sergi

Abstract

We analysed changes in the ecological roles of species, trophic structure and ecosystem functioning using four standardized mass-balance models of the South Catalan Sea (North-western Mediterranean). Models represented the ecosystem during the late 1970s, mid 1990s, early 2000s, and a simulated no-fishing scenario. The underlying hypothesis was that ecosystem models should quantitatively capture the increasing exploitation in the ecosystem from the 1970s to 2000s, as well as differences between the exploited and non-exploited scenarios. Biomass showed a general decrease, while there was an increase in biomass at lower trophic levels (TL) from the 1970s to 2000s. The efficiency of energy transfer (TE) from lower to higher TLs significantly increased with time. The ecosystem during the 1990s showed higher biomass and flows than during the 1970s and 2000s due to an increase in small pelagic fish biomass (especially sardines). Exploited food webs also showed similarities in terms of general structure and functioning due to high intensity of fishing already in the 1970s. This intensity was highlighted with low trophic levels in the catch, high consumption of production by fisheries, medium to high primary production required to sustain the catches and high losses in secondary production due to fishing. Significant differences on ecosystem structure and functioning were highlighted between the exploited and no-fishing scenarios. Biomass of higher TLs increased under the no-fishing scenario and the mean trophic level of the community and the fish/invertebrate biomass ratios were substantially lower in exploited food webs. The efficiency of energy transfer (TE) from lower to higher TLs was lower under the no-fishing scenario, and it showed a continuous decrease with increasing TL. Marine mammals, large hake, anglerfish and large pelagic fish were identified as keystone species of the ecosystem when there was no fishing, while their ecological importance notably decreased under the exploited periods. On the contrary, the importance of small-sized organisms such as benthic invertebrates and small pelagic fish was higher in exploited food webs.

Suggested Citation

  • Coll, Marta & Palomera, Isabel & Tudela, Sergi, 2009. "Decadal changes in a NW Mediterranean Sea food web in relation to fishing exploitation," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(17), pages 2088-2102.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:220:y:2009:i:17:p:2088-2102
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.04.049
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380009003093
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.04.049?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christensen, V. & Pauly, D. (eds.), 1993. "Trophic models of aquatic ecosystems," Monographs, The WorldFish Center, number 8432, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Neira, Sergio & Moloney, Coleen & Shannon, Lynne J. & Christensen, Villy & Arancibia, Hugo & Jarre, Astrid, 2014. "Assessing changes in the southern Humboldt in the 20th century using food web models," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 278(C), pages 52-66.
    2. Chiara Paoli & Paolo Povero & Ilaria Rigo & Giulia Dapueto & Rachele Bordoni & Paolo Vassallo, 2022. "Two Sides of the Same Coin: A Theoretical Framework for Strong Sustainability in Marine Protected Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-20, May.
    3. Eddy, Tyler D. & Pitcher, Tony J. & MacDiarmid, Alison B. & Byfield, Tamsen T. & Tam, Jamie C. & Jones, Timothy T. & Bell, James J. & Gardner, Jonathan P.A., 2014. "Lobsters as keystone: Only in unfished ecosystems?," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 275(C), pages 48-72.
    4. Matteo Chiarini & Stefano Guicciardi & Lorenzo Zacchetti & Filippo Domenichetti & Giovanni Canduci & Silvia Angelini & Andrea Belardinelli & Camilla Croci & Giordano Giuliani & Paolo Scarpini & Albert, 2022. "Looking for a Simple Assessment Tool for a Complex Task: Short-Term Evaluation of Changes in Fisheries Management Measures in the Pomo/Jabuka Pits Area (Central Adriatic Sea)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-21, June.
    5. Heymans, Johanna Jacomina & Coll, Marta & Link, Jason S. & Mackinson, Steven & Steenbeek, Jeroen & Walters, Carl & Christensen, Villy, 2016. "Best practice in Ecopath with Ecosim food-web models for ecosystem-based management," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 331(C), pages 173-184.
    6. Paoli, C. & Povero, P. & Burgos, E. & Dapueto, G. & Fanciulli, G. & Massa, F. & Scarpellini, P. & Vassallo, P., 2018. "Natural capital and environmental flows assessment in marine protected areas: The case study of Liguria region (NW Mediterranean Sea)," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 368(C), pages 121-135.
    7. Livi, Carmen Maria & Jordán, Ferenc & Lecca, Paola & Okey, Thomas A., 2011. "Identifying key species in ecosystems with stochastic sensitivity analysis," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(14), pages 2542-2551.
    8. Coll, Marta & Steenbeek, Jeroen & Sole, Jordi & Palomera, Isabel & Christensen, Villy, 2016. "Modelling the cumulative spatial–temporal effects of environmental drivers and fishing in a NW Mediterranean marine ecosystem," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 331(C), pages 100-114.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Milessi, Andrés C. & Danilo, Calliari & Laura, Rodríguez-Graña & Daniel, Conde & Javier, Sellanes & Rodríguez-Gallego, Lorena, 2010. "Trophic mass-balance model of a subtropical coastal lagoon, including a comparison with a stable isotope analysis of the food-web," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 221(24), pages 2859-2869.
    2. Moreau, J. & Palomares, M.L.D. & Torres, F.S.B., Jr. & Pauly, D., 1995. "Atlas demographique des populations de poissons d'eau douce d'Afrique," Monographs, The WorldFish Center, number 10441, April.
    3. Jia, Peiqiao & Hu, Menghong & Hu, Zhongjun & Liu, Qigen & Wu, Zhen, 2012. "Modeling trophic structure and energy flows in a typical macrophyte dominated shallow lake using the mass balanced model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 233(C), pages 26-30.
    4. Booth, Shawn & Walters, William J & Steenbeek, Jeroen & Christensen, Villy & Charmasson, Sabine, 2020. "An Ecopath with Ecosim model for the Pacific coast of eastern Japan: Describing the marine environment and its fisheries prior to the Great East Japan earthquake," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 428(C).
    5. Díaz López, Bruno & Bunke, Mandy & Bernal Shirai, Julia Andrea, 2008. "Marine aquaculture off Sardinia Island (Italy): Ecosystem effects evaluated through a trophic mass-balance model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 212(3), pages 292-303.
    6. Rochette, S. & Lobry, J. & Lepage, M. & Boët, Ph., 2009. "Dealing with uncertainty in qualitative models with a semi-quantitative approach based on simulations. Application to the Gironde estuarine food web (France)," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(2), pages 122-132.
    7. Christensen, Villy & de la Puente, Santiago & Sueiro, Juan Carlos & Steenbeek, Jeroen & Majluf, Patricia, 2014. "Valuing seafood: The Peruvian fisheries sector," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 302-311.
    8. Tesfaye, Gashaw & Wolff, Matthias, 2018. "Modeling trophic interactions and the impact of an introduced exotic carp species in the Rift Valley Lake Koka, Ethiopia," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 378(C), pages 26-36.
    9. Fourriére, Manon & Alvarado, Juan José & Cortés, Jorge & Taylor, Marc H. & Ayala-Bocos, Arturo & Azofeifa-Solano, Juan Carlos & Arauz, Randall & Heidemeyer, Maike & López-Garro, Andrés & Zanella, Ilen, 2019. "Energy flow structure and role of keystone groups in shallow water environments in Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, Eastern Tropical Pacific," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 396(C), pages 74-85.
    10. Rosas-Luis, R. & Salinas-Zavala, C.A. & Koch, V. & Luna, P. Del Monte & Morales-Zárate, M.V., 2008. "Importance of jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas (Orbigny, 1835) in the pelagic ecosystem of the central Gulf of California," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 218(1), pages 149-161.
    11. Han, Jeong-Ho & Kumar, Hema K. & Lee, Jae Hoon & Zhang, Chang-Ik & Kim, Se-Wha & Lee, Jung-Ho & Kim, Sang Don & An, Kwang-Guk, 2011. "Integrative trophic network assessments of a lentic ecosystem by key ecological approaches of water chemistry, trophic guilds, and ecosystem health assessments along with an ECOPATH model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(19), pages 3457-3472.
    12. Ortiz, Marco & Berrios, Fernando & Campos, Leonardo & Uribe, Roberto & Ramirez, Alejandro & Hermosillo-Núñez, Brenda & González, Jorge & Rodriguez-Zaragoza, Fabián, 2015. "Mass balanced trophic models and short-term dynamical simulations for benthic ecological systems of Mejillones and Antofagasta bays (SE Pacific): Comparative network structure and assessment of human ," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 309, pages 153-162.
    13. Nuttall, M.A. & Jordaan, A. & Cerrato, R.M. & Frisk, M.G., 2011. "Identifying 120 years of decline in ecosystem structure and maturity of Great South Bay, New York using the Ecopath modelling approach," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(18), pages 3335-3345.
    14. Ullah, Md. Hadayet & Rashed-Un-Nabi, Md. & Al-Mamun, Md. Abdulla, 2012. "Trophic model of the coastal ecosystem of the Bay of Bengal using mass balance Ecopath model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 82-94.
    15. Angelini, Ronaldo & de Morais, Ronny José & Catella, Agostinho Carlos & Resende, Emiko Kawakami & Libralato, Simone, 2013. "Aquatic food webs of the oxbow lakes in the Pantanal: A new site for fisheries guaranteed by alternated control?," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 253(C), pages 82-96.
    16. Fetahi, Tadesse & Schagerl, Michael & Mengistou, Seyoum & Libralato, Simone, 2011. "Food web structure and trophic interactions of the tropical highland lake Hayq, Ethiopia," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(3), pages 804-813.
    17. Heymans, Johanna Jacomina & Coll, Marta & Link, Jason S. & Mackinson, Steven & Steenbeek, Jeroen & Walters, Carl & Christensen, Villy, 2016. "Best practice in Ecopath with Ecosim food-web models for ecosystem-based management," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 331(C), pages 173-184.
    18. Byron, Carrie & Link, Jason & Costa-Pierce, Barry & Bengtson, David, 2011. "Calculating ecological carrying capacity of shellfish aquaculture using mass-balance modeling: Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(10), pages 1743-1755.
    19. Colléter, Mathieu & Valls, Audrey & Guitton, Jérôme & Gascuel, Didier & Pauly, Daniel & Christensen, Villy, 2015. "Global overview of the applications of the Ecopath with Ecosim modeling approach using the EcoBase models repository," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 302(C), pages 42-53.
    20. Jørgensen, Sven Erik, 2007. "Description of aquatic ecosystem's development by eco-exergy and exergy destruction," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 204(1), pages 22-28.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:220:y:2009:i:17:p:2088-2102. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-modelling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.