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Abstract
Fan, C., A. Wilbon
and M.A. Reiter. 2008. An ecological
conceptual model for Monie Bay NERR Site: A case
study on ecosystem management. JEMREST
5:01-10.
Monie Bay,
a tributary located on the southeastern portion of the Chesapeake
Bay, is one of the three sites that form the Maryland Chesapeake
Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) system. An ecological
conceptual model was developed by an interdisciplinary workshop to synthesize
the state of knowledge and identify future research and monitoring needs for
ecosystem management of this NERR site. This three-tier conceptual model
links the pathways among drivers (anthropogenic or natural activities),
stressors (ecological impacts as the results of drivers), and ecological
endpoints (components of the ecosystem being import ecologically,
economically, and/or socially). These pathways were further ranked as
“High”, “Medium”, or “Low” interactions
based on their ecological importance in this specific ecosystem. This model
identified that the agricultural activities was the major anthropogenic
driver in this watershed. The processes of analyzing agricultural activities
on the nutrient enrichments, marsh aerial extent and species diversity could
serve an example of using conceptual model in estuarine ecosystem management
and decision making.
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