Fish Bioenergetics 4.0 webinar on March 5, 2018

Fish Bioenergetics 4.0
Monday, March 5, 2018
2:00 pm Eastern Time

Presenter: David Deslauriers
Research Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

The newly released Fish Bioenergetics 4.0 (FB4; Deslauriers et al. 2017) provides a user-friendly, menu-driven environment for bioenergetics modeling. FB4 uses an R-based analytical approach that is linked to a graphical user interface, making simulations easy even for users with little or no experience in R programming. The R programming approach enables timely updates and bug fixes, and can rely on feedback from users to continuously improve the application. FB4 contains 105 bioenergetics models representing 72 aquatic species and allows for users to modify or add new parameter sets for additional species and incorporate modifications such as habitat-dependent functions (e.g., dissolved oxygen, salinity) that are not part of the default package. Because the core model code is accessible to users it can be incorporated as a module in larger ecological models if desired. In this webinar, we will cover the basics of bioenergetics theory, present the main functionalities of FB4, and introduce ways to expand on the current applications.
Speaker biography:
David Deslauriers is a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada working on trophic interactions in the Arctic ecosystem. Previous to that, he has worked primarily on the conservation of sturgeon species throughout North America, with a focus on eco-physiological applications. His most recent work on fish bioenergetics is the culmination of a five-year collaborative effort looking to make this open source analytical tool widely accessible and expandable to a wide range of applications.