Ecosampler: A new approach to assessing parameter uncertainty in Ecopath with Ecosim

Abstract The widely used Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) food web modelling approach has been extended with a new module to measure the impact of input parameter sensitivity on its results. Ecosampler records samples – alternate mass-balanced parameter sets for a food web model – from the built-in Monte Carlo routine, and replays these samples through all of EwE modules and any loaded plug-in. Via Ecosampler, output variation due to base input parameter sensitivity can be captured, of any computational component including the temporal module Ecosim, the spatial–temporal module Ecospace, and plug-ins such as Ecological Network Analysis, Value Chain, and Ecological Indicators.

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