Size-based ecosystem modeling is emerging as a powerful way to assess ecosystem-level impacts of human- and environment-driven changes from individual-level processes. These models have evolved as mechanistic explanations for observed regular patterns of abundance across the marine size spectrum hypothesized to hold from bacteria to whales. Fifty years since the first size spectrum measurements, we ask how far have we come? Although recent modeling studies capture an impressive range of sizes, complexity, and real-world applications, ecosystem coverage is still only partial. We describe how this can be overcome by unifying functional traits with size spectra (which we call functional size spectra) and highlight the key knowledge gaps that need to be filled to model ecosystems from bacteria to whales.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	ecosystem modelling, ecological theory, foodwebs, ecosystem function, ecological pyramids
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Ecology
Research Field:	Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology)
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:	Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
UTAS Author:	Blanchard, JL (Dr Julia Blanchard)
UTAS Author:	Trebilco, R (Dr Rowan Trebilco)
ID Code:	113804
Year Published:	2017
Web of Science® Times Cited:	76
Deposited By:	CRC-Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems
Deposited On:	2017-01-23
Last Modified:	2018-04-20
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