AquaDesign

AquaDesign predicts suitable aquaculture rearing conditions by correlating species distribution data with abiotic variables to define n-dimensional niche hypervolumes for optimizing monoculture and polyculture production.

Key Features:

• In Silico Assessment: Employs a correlative approach to estimate ecological niches and define n-dimensional niche hypervolumes from species distribution and environmental data.
• Data Integration: Mines and integrates biogeographic and abiotic datasets from multiple public databases.
• Species Compatibility Analysis: Evaluates overlaps between species' niche hypervolumes to identify compatible combinations for polyculture systems.
• Condition Suitability Evaluation: Assesses whether specific abiotic conditions or farming locations meet the defined niche requirements for monoculture or polyculture setups.
• Implementation: Implemented as an R script and package for computational analysis and statistical modeling.

Scientific Applications:

• Sustainability Enhancement: Informs species selection and farming system design to support more sustainable aquaculture practices.
• Species Introduction: Predicts suitable environmental conditions for introducing currently non-produced or poorly documented species into aquaculture.
• Resource Optimization: Prioritizes promising rearing conditions and species combinations to reduce empirical trials and optimize resource use.

Methodology:

Correlative approach relating species distribution data to environmental variables; data mining of biogeographic and abiotic datasets from public databases; estimation of n-dimensional niche hypervolumes using statistical models correlating species presence with environmental parameters; evaluation of niche hypervolume overlaps for compatibility analysis.