title: Model fit versus biological relevance: Evaluating photosynthesis-temperature models for three tropical seagrass species.
abstract: When several models can describe a biological process, the equation that best fits the data is typically considered the best. However, models are most useful when they also possess biologically-meaningful parameters. In particular, model parameters should be stable, physically interpretable, and transferable to other contexts, e.g. for direct indication of system state, or usage in other model types. As an example of implementing these recommended requirements for model parameters, we evaluated twelve published empirical models for temperature-dependent tropical seagrass photosynthesis, based on two criteria: (1) goodness of fit, and (2) how easily biologically-meaningful parameters can be obtained. All models were formulated in terms of parameters characterising the thermal optimum (Topt) for maximum photosynthetic rate (Pmax). These parameters indicate the upper thermal limits of seagrass photosynthetic capacity, and hence can be used to assess the vulnerability of seagrass to temperature change. Our study exemplifies an approach to model selection which optimises the usefulness of empirical models for both modellers and ecologists alike.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: College of Marine and Environmental Science, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Australia.|Centre for Tropical Water &Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, 4870, Australia.
authors.forename: Catherine J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, 4811, Australia.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uthicke
authors.affiliation: College of Marine and Environmental Science, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Australia.|Centre for Tropical Water &Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, 4870, Australia.|Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 117557, Singapore.
authors.forename: Yan X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Ow
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tropical Water &Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, 4870, Australia.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Katherine R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D035961:Alismatales / Q000502:physiology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D008954:Models, Biological; D010788:Photosynthesis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013696:Temperature; D014329:Tropical Climate