IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecomod/v506y2025ics0304380025001371.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Study in the ecosystem structure and trophodynamics in the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension area

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Gan
  • Wang, Wen
  • Zhao, Rongrong
  • Ma, Qiuyun
  • Wang, Shaoqin
  • Tian, Siquan
  • Han, Dongyan

Abstract

The Northwest Pacific (NWP) is not only the region with the highest fishery production in the world, but also the location of the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension (KOE). Regular monitoring and assessment of marine ecosystem are essential for maintaining its stability and the sustainability of fishery products. Based on the survey data from the high-seas fishery resources survey in the KOE in 2023, the trophic structure and characteristics of open ocean ecosystem in this area were analyzed using the Ecopath with Ecosim model. A total of 25 functional groups were defined based on their ecological characteristics. The field sampling information was used as the biomass data to maximize the quality of the model. The results indicated that the trophic levels of these groups ranged from 1.00 to 4.35. Chub mackerel is a major economic species in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, and the ecotrophic efficiency of chub mackerel was lower than in previous studies (0.74 in 2019), indicating that the proportion of its production contributing to the ecosystem energy might have decreased. Mixed trophic impact results showed that the main interactions between functional groups are primarily predation and feeding competition. Total primary production/total respiration (TPP/TR), and total primary production/total biomass (TPP/TB) indicated the system maturity. Compared to previous studies in the KOE and its adjacent area ecosystems (the total system throughput was 3529.54 t·km-2·year-1 and the TR was 486.42 t·km-2·year-1), both the TST (1766.22 t·km-2·year-1) and the TR (151.27 t·km-2·year-1) were relatively lower, which revealed the low productivity characteristic of the KOE ecosystem. Combined with the high TPP/TR (7.31) and the low system omnivory index (0.20), these overall ecosystem characteristics suggested that the KOE ecosystem was structurally simple and vulnerable to disturbance from external activities. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the main output parameters of the model were highly sensitive to the changes in the biomass of the functional groups. This study provided a reference for ecosystem-based fisheries management in the open ocean waters of the KOE.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Gan & Wang, Wen & Zhao, Rongrong & Ma, Qiuyun & Wang, Shaoqin & Tian, Siquan & Han, Dongyan, 2025. "Study in the ecosystem structure and trophodynamics in the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension area," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 506(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:506:y:2025:i:c:s0304380025001371
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2025.111152
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380025001371
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2025.111152?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.

    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:506:y:2025:i:c:s0304380025001371. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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.