Dynamic growth model of Antarc4c macroalgae in a fast-changing environment

CHARLÈNE GUILLAUMOT; AGÜERA ANTONIO; BRUNO DANIS; DEREGIBUS, DOLORES; QUARTINO, MARÍA LILIANA; SARAVIA, LEONARDO A.

Davos

Congreso; Polar 2018; 2018

Understanding communities functions and trophic interactions between Antarctic species has been the focus of a lot of research over the past few years. Modeling approaches help integrate increasing information about these communities using ecological network frameworks. Within these networks, macroalgae, as primary producers, are strong drivers in benthic ecosystem functioning. Characterising relationships between macroalgae growth performance and environmental parameters is an interesting approach to assess potential ecosystem responses to fast-changing environments. In this context, we build a dynamic growth model for Antarctic macroalgae that describes biomass changes in time and predicts macroalgae growth according to forcing environmental variables like: light intensity, water turdidity, current speed, ice cover. Our objective is to define a mathematical model structure that can encompass the environments observed in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, we will obtain parameters from published studies mainly from Potter Cove, King Georges Island (South Shetlands). After defining it we study the existence of alternative stable states with respect to environmental variables that could produce regime shifts in these Antarctic ecosystems.