Ecopath Model of a Subtropical Marine Ranch in Pearl River Estuary

April and September 2020 data from the Wailingding Island marine ranch was used to build an Ecopath model with 17 defined functional groups. The model quantified ecosystem characteristics, including a total system throughput of 10,536.750 t/(km²·year) and trophic levels ranging from 1.000 to 3.737. It was created by Xue Feng to assess energy flows, structural characteristics, and the ecological carrying capacity of the coastal system.

Use Cases

• Analyze energy transfer efficiency (3.873%) and total system throughput (10,536.750 t/(km²·year)) among the 17 functional groups to model ecosystem productivity.
• Assess the maturity and stability of the marine ranch ecosystem using calculated ratios like TPP/TR (7.431) and Finn's cycling index (2.529%).
• Simulate potential biomass increases by applying the model's finding that ecological carrying capacity for major groups could reach 3.8 times current levels.
• Compare trophic level (TL) distributions, from 1.000 to 3.737, to understand the food web structure and the role of top predators like marine mammals.

Strengths

• Model is based on continuous bottom trawl surveys from two distinct months (April and September 2020), providing seasonal snapshots.
• Quantifies 17 key functional groups with specific metrics like trophic levels, energy throughput, and Finn's indices.
• Includes concrete ecosystem metrics such as a total system throughput of 10,536.750 t/(km²·year) and an energy transfer efficiency of 3.873%.

Limitations

• The dataset is a 183.0 KB DOCX file containing model results and descriptions, not the raw survey data, limiting direct computational analysis.
• Temporal coverage is limited to two months in 2020, providing a snapshot rather than long-term trend data.
• The model's applicability is geographically specific to the Wailingding Island marine ranch in the Pearl River Estuary.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Xue Feng.

Collection Method

Ecopath modeling based on continuous bottom trawl surveys.

Time Range

April and September 2020.

Freshness

Data reflects conditions from 2020, though the record was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Wailingding Island marine ranch, Pearl River Estuary, northern South China Sea.