By using a common theoretical framework based on the dynamic energy budget (DEB, [12]) model of an individual organism in a population interacting with the ecosystem, we proceeded by the three following steps:

Step 1. We built up a mechanistic energy-based model to describe and predict growth and reproduction of various aquatic species at the individual scale. This model was tested by using data that is already published, although there will be complementary experiments to obtain values of some parameters.

Step 2. We compared the resulting models among species. Thus, it was possible to explain response of the various species to environmental fluctuations in terms of energy allocation strategy and to pinpoint which parameters of the model are different among species. We evaluated the range of differences in the parameters and try to identify the factors involved in these differences. This second step was completed by comparing the resulting DEB models to SFG models.

Step 3. A final phase looked at scaling the model up to the levels of population and evolutionary processes by coupling the DEB models of these species with models of population dynamics [15] and evolution dynamics [16]. This gave an idea of the consequences for ecosystems (i.e. ecosystem model APESCOM). More specifically, we examined how some disturbances related to pollutants, climate, new diseases and parasites or fisheries modify the strategies of energy allocation in aquatic organisms, as well as their life history traits (growth, size and age for sexual maturity, fertility and survival) with inferences on population dynamics. Another point was to investigate the effects of the global change and human activities.

Within the scope of AquaDEB, we therefore aimed to propose preliminary steps for connecting physiological processes with the ecological and evolutionary processes using the DEB parameters. We organized in four work packages WP which are coordinated by one or two AquaDEB partners (Fig. 2):




Figure 2. Scheme of the four work packages in AquaDEB (with coordinators).