EcoService Models Library (ESML)
loading
Compare EMs
Which comparison is best for me?EM Variables by Variable Role
One quick way to compare ecological models (EMs) is by comparing their variables. Predictor variables show what kinds of influences a model is able to account for, and what kinds of data it requires. Response variables show what information a model is capable of estimating.
This first comparison shows the names (and units) of each EM’s variables, side-by-side, sorted by variable role. Variable roles in ESML are as follows:
- Predictor Variables
- Time- or Space-Varying Variables
- Constants and Parameters
- Intermediate (Computed) Variables
- Response Variables
- Computed Response Variables
- Measured Response Variables
EM Variables by Category
A second way to use variables to compare EMs is by focusing on the kind of information each variable represents. The top-level categories in the ESML Variable Classification Hierarchy are as follows:
- Policy Regarding Use or Management of Ecosystem Resources
- Land Surface (or Water Body Bed) Cover, Use or Substrate
- Human Demographic Data
- Human-Produced Stressor or Enhancer of Ecosystem Goods and Services Production
- Ecosystem Attributes and Potential Supply of Ecosystem Goods and Services
- Non-monetary Indicators of Human Demand, Use or Benefit of Ecosystem Goods and Services
- Monetary Values
Besides understanding model similarities, sorting the variables for each EM by these 7 categories makes it easier to see if the compared models can be linked using similar variables. For example, if one model estimates an ecosystem attribute (in Category 5), such as water clarity, as a response variable, and a second model uses a similar attribute (also in Category 5) as a predictor of recreational use, the two models can potentially be used in tandem. This comparison makes it easier to spot potential model linkages.
All EM Descriptors
This selection allows a more detailed comparison of EMs by model characteristics other than their variables. The 50-or-so EM descriptors for each model are presented, side-by-side, in the following categories:
- EM Identity and Description
- EM Modeling Approach
- EM Locations, Environments, Ecology
- EM Ecosystem Goods and Services (EGS) potentially modeled, by classification system
EM Descriptors by Modeling Concepts
This feature guides the user through the use of the following seven concepts for comparing and selecting EMs:
- Conceptual Model
- Modeling Objective
- Modeling Context
- Potential for Model Linkage
- Feasibility of Model Use
- Model Certainty
- Model Structural Information
Though presented separately, these concepts are interdependent, and information presented under one concept may have relevance to other concepts as well.
EM Identity and Description
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
EM Short Name
em.detail.shortNameHelp
?
|
Fodder crude protein content, Central French Alps | InVEST fisheries, lobster, South Africa | SolVES, Bridger-Teton NF, WY | Estuary recreational use, Cape Cod, MA | Northern Shoveler recruits, CREP wetlands, IA, USA |
|
EM Full Name
em.detail.fullNameHelp
?
|
Fodder crude protein content, Central French Alps | Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs Fisheries, rock lobster, South Africa | SolVES, Social Values for Ecosystem Services, Bridger-Teton National Forest, WY | Estuary recreational use, Cape Cod, MA | Northern Shoveler duck recruits, CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) wetlands, Iowa, USA |
|
EM Source or Collection
em.detail.emSourceOrCollectionHelp
?
|
EU Biodiversity Action 5 | InVEST | None | US EPA | None |
|
EM Source Document ID
|
260 |
349 ?Comment:Supplemented with the InVEST Users Guide fisheries. |
369 | 387 |
372 ?Comment:Document 373 is a secondary source for this EM. |
|
Document Author
em.detail.documentAuthorHelp
?
|
Lavorel, S., Grigulis, K., Lamarque, P., Colace, M-P, Garden, D., Girel, J., Pellet, G., and Douzet, R. | Ward, Michelle, Hugh Possingham, Johathan R. Rhodes, Peter Mumby | Sherrouse, B.C., Semmens, D.J., and J.M. Clement | Mulvaney, K K., Atkinson, S.F., Merrill, N.H., Twichell, J.H., and M.J. Mazzotta | Otis, D. L., W. G. Crumpton, D. Green, A. K. Loan-Wilsey, R. L. McNeely, K. L. Kane, R. Johnson, T. Cooper, and M. Vandever |
|
Document Year
em.detail.documentYearHelp
?
|
2011 | 2018 | 2014 | 2019 | 2010 |
|
Document Title
em.detail.sourceIdHelp
?
|
Using plant functional traits to understand the landscape distribution of multiple ecosystem services | Food, money and lobsters: Valuing ecosystem services to align environmental management with Sustainable Development Goals | An application of Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES) to three national forests in Colorado and Wyoming | Quantifying Recreational Use of an Estuary: A case study of three bays, Cape Cod, USA | Assessment of environmental services of CREP wetlands in Iowa and the midwestern corn belt |
|
Document Status
em.detail.statusCategoryHelp
?
|
Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed but unpublished (explain in Comment) | Peer reviewed and published |
|
Comments on Status
em.detail.commentsOnStatusHelp
?
|
Published journal manuscript | Published journal manuscript | Published journal manuscript | Draft manuscript-work progressing | Published report |
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
| Not applicable | https://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/invest/ | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | |
|
Contact Name
em.detail.contactNameHelp
?
|
Sandra Lavorel | Michelle Ward | Benson Sherrouse | Mulvaney, Kate | David Otis |
|
Contact Address
|
Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, UMR 5553 CNRS Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France | ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia | USGS, 5522 Research Park Dr., Baltimore, MD 21228, USA | US EPA, ORD, NHEERL, Atlantic Ecology Division, Narragansett, RI | U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Iowa State University |
|
Contact Email
|
sandra.lavorel@ujf-grenoble.fr | m.ward@uq.edu.au | bcsherrouse@usgs.gov | Mulvaney.Kate@epa.gov | dotis@iastate.edu |
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
Summary Description
em.detail.summaryDescriptionHelp
?
|
ABSTRACT: "Here, we propose a new approach for the analysis, mapping and understanding of multiple ES delivery in landscapes. Spatially explicit single ES models based on plant traits and abiotic characteristics are combined to identify ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ spots of multiple ES delivery, and the land use and biotic determinants of such distributions. We demonstrate the value of this trait-based approach as compared to a pure land-use approach for a pastoral landscape from the central French Alps, and highlight how it improves understanding of ecological constraints to, and opportunities for, the delivery of multiple services. Vegetative height and leaf traits such as leaf dry matter content were response traits strongly influenced by land use and abiotic environment, with follow-on effects on several ecosystem properties (e.g., fodder crude protein content), and could therefore be used as functional markers of ES." AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "Variation in fodder crude protein content was modelled using…traits community-weighted mean (CWM) and functional divergence (FD) and abiotic variables (continuous variables; trait + abiotic) following Diaz et al. (2007). …The comparison between this model and the land-use alone model identifies the need for site-based information beyond a land use or land cover proxy…Fodder crude protein for each pixel was calculated and mapped using model estimates...This step is critically novel as compared to a direct application of the model by Diaz et al. (2007) in that we explicitly modelled the responses of trait community-weighted means and functional divergences to environment prior to evaluating their effects on fodder protein content. Such an approach is the key to the explicit representation of functional variation across the landscape, as opposed to the use of unique trait values within each land use." | AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "Here we develop a method for assessing future scenarios of environmental management change that improve coastal ecosystem services and thereby, support the success of the SDGs. We illustrate application of the method using a case study of South Africa’s West Coast Rock Lobster fishery within the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) Marine Protected Area...We calculated the retrospective and current value of the West Coast Rock Lobster fishery using published and unpublished data from various sources and combined the market worth of landed lobster from recreational fishers, small-scale fisheries (SSF), large-scale fisheries (LSF) and poachers. Then using the InVEST tool, we combined data to build scenarios that describe possible futures for the West Coast Rock Lobster fishery (see Table 1). The first scenario, entitled ‘Business as Usual’ (BAU), takes the current situation and most up-to-date data to model the future if harvest continues at the existing rate. The second scenario is entitled ‘Redirect the Poachers’ (RP), which attempts to model implementation of strict management, whereby poaching is minimised from the Marine Protected Area and other economic and nutritional sources are made available through government initiatives. The third scenario, entitled ‘Large Scale Cutbacks’ (LSC), excludes large-scale fisheries from harvesting West Coast Rock Lobster within the TMNP Marine Protected Area." | [ABSTRACT: " "Despite widespread recognition that social-value information is needed to inform stakeholders and decision makers regarding trade-offs in environmental management, it too often remains absent from ecosystem service assessments. Although quantitative indicators of social values need to be explicitly accounted for in the decision-making process, they need not be monetary. Ongoing efforts to map such values demonstrate how they can also be made spatially explicit and relatable to underlying ecological information. We originally developed Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES) as a tool to assess, map, and quantify nonmarket values perceived by various groups of ecosystem stakeholders.With SolVES 2.0 we have extended the functionality by integrating SolVES with Maxent maximum entropy modeling software to generate more complete social-value maps from available value and preference survey data and to produce more robust models describing the relationship between social values and ecosystems. The current study has two objectives: (1) evaluate how effectively the value index, a quantitative, nonmonetary social-value indicator calculated by SolVES, reproduces results from more common statistical methods of social-survey data analysis and (2) examine how the spatial results produced by SolVES provide additional information that could be used by managers and stakeholders to better understand more complex relationships among stakeholder values, attitudes, and preferences. To achieve these objectives, we applied SolVES to value and preference survey data collected for three national forests, the Pike and San Isabel in Colorado and the Bridger–Teton and the Shoshone in Wyoming. Value index results were generally consistent with results found through more common statistical analyses of the survey data such as frequency, discriminant function, and correlation analyses. In addition, spatial analysis of the social-value maps produced by SolVES provided information that was useful for explaining relationships between stakeholder values and forest uses. Our results suggest that SolVES can effectively reproduce information derived from traditional statistical analyses while adding spatially explicit, socialvalue information that can contribute to integrated resource assessment, planning, and management of forests and other ecosystems. | [ABSTRACT: "Estimates of the types and number of recreational users visiting an estuary are critical data for quantifying the value of recreation and how that value might change with variations in water quality or other management decisions. However, estimates of recreational use are minimal and conventional intercept surveys methods are often infeasible for widespread application to estuaries. Therefore, a practical observational sampling approach was developed to quantify the recreational use of an estuary without the use of surveys. Designed to be simple and fast to allow for replication, the methods involved the use of periodic instantaneous car counts multiplied by extrapolation factors derived from all-day counts. This simple sampling approach can be used to estimate visitation to diverse types of access points on an estuary in a single day as well as across multiple days. Evaluation of this method showed that when periodic counts were taken within a preferred time window (from 11am-4:30pm), the estimates were within 44 percent of actual daily visitation. These methods were applied to the Three Bays estuary system on Cape Cod, USA. The estimated combined use across all its public access sites is similar to the use at a mid-sized coastal beach, demonstrating the value of estuarine systems. Further, this study is the first to quantify the variety and magnitude of recreational uses at several different types of access points throughout the estuary using observational methods. This model focused on the various use by access point type (beaches, landings and way to water, boat use). This work can be transferred to the many small coastal access points used for recreation across New England and beyond." ] | ABSTRACT: "Our initial primary objective (Progress Report I) was prediction of environmental services provided by the 27 Iowa Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) wetland sites that had been completed by 2007 in the Prairie Pothole Region of northcentral Iowa. The sites contain 102.4 ha of wetlands and 377.4 ha of associated grassland buffers…" AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "The first phase of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service task was to evaluate the contribution of the 27 approved sites to migratory birds breeding in the Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa. To date, evaluation has been completed for 7 species of waterfowl and 5 species of grassland birds. All evaluations were completed using existing models that relate landscape composition to bird populations. As such, the first objective was to develop a current land cover geographic information system (GIS) that reflected current landscape conditions including the incorporation of habitat restored through the CREP program. The second objective was to input landscape variables from our land cover GIS into models to estimate various migratory bird population parameters (i.e. the number of pairs, individuals, or recruits) for each site. Recruitment for the 27 sites was estimated for Mallards, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, and Northern Pintail according to recruitment models presented by Cowardin et al. (1995). Recruitment was not estimated for Canada Geese and Wood Ducks because recruitment models do not exist for these species. Variables used to estimate recruitment included the number of pairs, the composition of the landscape in a 4-square mile area around the CREP wetland, species-specific habitat preferences, and species- and habitat-specific clutch success rates. Recruitment estimates were derived using the following equations: Recruits = 2*R*n where, 2 = constant based on the assumption of equal sex ratio at hatch, n = number of breeding pairs estimated using the pairs equation previously outlined, R = Recruitment rate as defined by Cowardin and Johnson (1979) where, R = H*Z*B/2 where, H = hen success (see Cowardin et al. (1995) for methods used to calculate H, which is related to land cover types in the 4-mile2 landscape around each wetland), Z = proportion of broods that survived to fledge at least 1 recruit (= 0.74 based on Cowardin and Johnson 1979), B = average brood size at fledging (= 4.9 based on Cowardin and Johnson 1979)." ENTERER'S COMMENT: The number of breeding pairs (n) is estimated by a separate submodel from this paper, and as such is also entered as a separate model in ESML (EM 632). |
|
Specific Policy or Decision Context Cited
em.detail.policyDecisionContextHelp
?
|
None identified | Future rock lobster fisheries management | None | None identified | None identified |
|
Biophysical Context
|
Elevation ranges from 1552 to 2442 m, on predominantely south-facing slopes | No additional description provided | Rocky mountain conifer forests | None identified | Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa |
|
EM Scenario Drivers
em.detail.scenarioDriverHelp
?
|
No scenarios presented | Fisheries exploitation; fishing vulnerability (of age classes) | N/A | N/A | No scenarios presented |
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
Method Only, Application of Method or Model Run
em.detail.methodOrAppHelp
?
|
Method + Application | Method + Application (multiple runs exist) View EM Runs | Method + Application | Method + Application (multiple runs exist) View EM Runs | Method + Application |
|
New or Pre-existing EM?
em.detail.newOrExistHelp
?
|
New or revised model | Application of existing model | New or revised model | New or revised model | New or revised model |
Related EMs (for example, other versions or derivations of this EM) described in ESML
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
Document ID for related EM
em.detail.relatedEmDocumentIdHelp
?
|
Doc-260 | Doc-269 | None | None | None | Doc-372 | Doc-373 |
|
EM ID for related EM
em.detail.relatedEmEmIdHelp
?
|
EM-65 | EM-66 | EM-69 | EM-70 | EM-71 | EM-79 | EM-80 | EM-81 | EM-82 | EM-83 | None | EM-629 | EM-626 | EM-682 | EM-684 | EM-685 | EM-705 | EM-704 | EM-703 | EM-701 | EM-700 | EM-632 |
EM Modeling Approach
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
EM Temporal Extent
em.detail.tempExtentHelp
?
|
2007-2009 | 1986-2115 | 2004-2008 | Summer 2017 | 1987-2007 |
|
EM Time Dependence
em.detail.timeDependencyHelp
?
|
time-stationary | time-dependent | time-stationary | time-dependent | time-stationary |
|
EM Time Reference (Future/Past)
em.detail.futurePastHelp
?
|
Not applicable | future time | Not applicable | past time | Not applicable |
|
EM Time Continuity
em.detail.continueDiscreteHelp
?
|
Not applicable | discrete | Not applicable | discrete | Not applicable |
|
EM Temporal Grain Size Value
em.detail.tempGrainSizeHelp
?
|
Not applicable | 1 | Not applicable | 1 | Not applicable |
|
EM Temporal Grain Size Unit
em.detail.tempGrainSizeUnitHelp
?
|
Not applicable | Year | Not applicable | Day | Not applicable |
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
Bounding Type
em.detail.boundingTypeHelp
?
|
Physiographic or Ecological | Geopolitical | Geopolitical | Physiographic or ecological | Multiple unrelated locations (e.g., meta-analysis) |
|
Spatial Extent Name
em.detail.extentNameHelp
?
|
Central French Alps | Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area | National Park | Three Bays, Cape Cod | CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program |
|
Spatial Extent Area (Magnitude)
em.detail.extentAreaHelp
?
|
10-100 km^2 | 100-1000 km^2 | 1000-10,000 km^2. | 1000-10,000 km^2. | 10,000-100,000 km^2 |
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
EM Spatial Distribution
em.detail.distributeLumpHelp
?
|
spatially distributed (in at least some cases) | spatially lumped (in all cases) | spatially distributed (in at least some cases) | spatially distributed (in at least some cases) | spatially distributed (in at least some cases) |
|
Spatial Grain Type
em.detail.spGrainTypeHelp
?
|
area, for pixel or radial feature | Not applicable | area, for pixel or radial feature | length, for linear feature (e.g., stream mile) | other (specify), for irregular (e.g., stream reach, lake basin) |
|
Spatial Grain Size
em.detail.spGrainSizeHelp
?
|
20 m x 20 m | Not applicable | 30m2 | beach length | multiple, individual, irregular sites |
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
EM Computational Approach
em.detail.emComputationalApproachHelp
?
|
Analytic | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric | Analytic |
|
EM Determinism
em.detail.deterStochHelp
?
|
deterministic | deterministic | deterministic | deterministic | deterministic |
|
Statistical Estimation of EM
em.detail.statisticalEstimationHelp
?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
Model Calibration Reported?
em.detail.calibrationHelp
?
|
No | No | No | Yes | Unclear |
|
Model Goodness of Fit Reported?
em.detail.goodnessFitHelp
?
|
Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
|
Goodness of Fit (metric| value | unit)
em.detail.goodnessFitValuesHelp
?
|
|
None |
|
None | None |
|
Model Operational Validation Reported?
em.detail.validationHelp
?
|
Yes |
Yes ?Comment:A validation analysis was carried out running the model using data from 1880 to 2001, and then comparing the output for the adult population with the 2001 published data. |
No | No | No |
|
Model Uncertainty Analysis Reported?
em.detail.uncertaintyAnalysisHelp
?
|
No | No | No | No | No |
|
Model Sensitivity Analysis Reported?
em.detail.sensAnalysisHelp
?
|
No | No | No | No | No |
|
Model Sensitivity Analysis Include Interactions?
em.detail.interactionConsiderHelp
?
|
Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
EM Locations, Environments, Ecology
Terrestrial location (Classification hierarchy: Continent > Country > U.S. State [United States only])
| EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
None |
|
None |
|
Marine location (Classification hierarchy: Realm > Region > Province > Ecoregion)
| EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
| None |
|
None |
|
None |
Centroid Lat/Long (Decimal Degree)
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
Centroid Latitude
em.detail.ddLatHelp
?
|
45.05 | -34.18 | 43.93 | 41.62 | 42.62 |
|
Centroid Longitude
em.detail.ddLongHelp
?
|
6.4 | 18.35 | 110.24 | -70.42 | -93.84 |
|
Centroid Datum
em.detail.datumHelp
?
|
WGS84 | WGS84 | WGS84 | WGS84 | WGS84 |
|
Centroid Coordinates Status
em.detail.coordinateStatusHelp
?
|
Provided | Provided | Estimated | Estimated | Estimated |
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
EM Environmental Sub-Class
em.detail.emEnvironmentalSubclassHelp
?
|
Agroecosystems | Grasslands | Near Coastal Marine and Estuarine | Forests | Near Coastal Marine and Estuarine | Inland Wetlands | Agroecosystems | Grasslands |
|
Specific Environment Type
em.detail.specificEnvTypeHelp
?
|
Subalpine terraces, grasslands, and meadows | Rocky coast, mixed coast, sandy coast, rocky inshore, sandy inshore, rocky shelf and unconsolidated shelf | Montain forest | Beaches | Wetlands buffered by grassland within agroecosystems |
|
EM Ecological Scale
em.detail.ecoScaleHelp
?
|
Not applicable | Ecological scale corresponds to the Environmental Sub-class | Ecological scale is finer than that of the Environmental Sub-class | Ecological scale is finer than that of the Environmental Sub-class | Ecological scale corresponds to the Environmental Sub-class |
Scale of differentiation of organisms modeled
|
EM ID
em.detail.idHelp
?
|
EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
EM Organismal Scale
em.detail.orgScaleHelp
?
|
Community | Individual or population, within a species | Not applicable | Not applicable | Individual or population, within a species |
Taxonomic level and name of organisms or groups identified
| EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
| None Available |
|
None Available | None Available |
|
EnviroAtlas URL
EM Ecosystem Goods and Services (EGS) potentially modeled, by classification system
CICES v 4.3 - Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (Section > Division > Group > Class)
| EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
|
|
|
|
<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/national-ecosystem-services-classification-system-nescs-plus">National Ecosystem Services Classification System (NESCS) Plus</a>
(Environmental Subclass > Ecological End-Product (EEP) > EEP Subclass > EEP Modifier)
| EM-68 |
EM-541 |
EM-628 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
|
|
|
|
|
Home
Search EMs
My
EMs
Learn about
ESML
Show Criteria
Hide Criteria