Premium
A microcomputer program for stimulating effects of physical transport processes on fish larvae
Author(s) -
WALTERS CARL J.,
HANNAH CHARLES G.,
THOMSON KEITH
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
fisheries oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1365-2419
pISSN - 1054-6006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2419.1992.tb00021.x
Subject(s) - advection , larva , microcomputer , fishery , settlement (finance) , environmental science , oceanography , diffusion , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , computer science , biology , geology , physics , telecommunications , chip , world wide web , payment , thermodynamics
A simple microcomputer program uses Lagrangian particle tracking to simulate the fates of individual larvae subject to wind‐ and tide‐driven advection fields and diffusion. Space/time advection patterns are provided to the program as inputs; thus, the program can use results from various hydrodynamic models. The program can simultaneously track several groups of larvae that are assigned varying attributes, including (1) body size, to allow simulation of effects of variation in growth rates; (2) spawning locations and times; (3) vertical migration behavior; and (4) settlement strategy (duration of larval period, depth conditions for settlement). The model is intended as an exploratory tool to help identify alternative hypotheses that might explain observed life history patterns and causes of inter‐annual variation in recruitment rate. For English sole in the Hecate Strait, B.C., the model leads us to hypothesize that observed spawning locations have resulted from a tradeoff between places that would provide the best feeding opportunities and places that would minimize risk of advective export to unfavorable rearing habitats.