Eco-SpaCE: An object-oriented, spatially explicit model to assess the risk of multiple environmental stressors on terrestrial vertebrate populations
Authored by Ad M J Ragas, Mark Loos, Rinus Plasmeijer, Aafke M Schipper, A Jan Hendriks
Date Published: 2010
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.11.045
Sponsors:
European Union
Platforms:
C++
EcoSim
Model Documentation:
Other Narrative
Flow charts
Model Code URLs:
Model code not found
Abstract
Wildlife organisms are exposed to a combination of chemical, biological
and physical stressors. Information about the relative impact of each
stressor can support management decisions. e.g.. by the allocation of
resources to counteract those stressors that cause most harm. The
present paper introduces Eco-SpaCE; a novel receptor-oriented cumulative
exposure model for wildlife species that includes relevant ecological
processes such as spatial habitat variation, food web relations, predation, and life history. A case study is presented in which the
predicted mortality due to cadmium contamination is compared with the
predicted mortality due to flooding, starvation, and predation for three
small mammal species (Wood mouse. Common vole, and European mole) and a
predator (Little owl) living in a lowland floodplain along the river
Rhine in The Netherlands. Results indicated that cadmium is the
principal stressor for European mole and Little owl populations. Wood
mouse and Common vole population densities were mainly influenced by
flooding and food availability. Their estimated population sizes were
consistent with numbers reported in literature. Predictions for cadmium
accumulation and flooding stress were in agreement with field data. The
large uncertainty around cadmium toxicity for wildlife leads to the
conclusion that more species-specific ecotoxicological data is required
for more realistic risk assessments. The predictions for starvation were
subject to the limited quantitative information on biomass obtainable as
food for vertebrates. It is concluded that the modelling approach
employed in Eco-SpaCE, combining ecology with ecotoxicology, provides a
viable option to explore the relative contribution of contamination to
the overall stress in an ecosystem. This can help environmental managers
to prioritize management options, and to reduce local risks. (C) 2009
Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Tags
Individual-based model
Management
Predation
Rodents
Small mammals
Assessing ecological risks
River
floodplains
Polluted floodplain
Apodemus-sylvaticus
Aquatic
ecosystems