Modeling oyster populations: I. A commentary on filtration rate. Is faster always better?

Measurements relating bivalve size to filtration rate usually fall on one of two curves. The upper curve predicts filtration rates three times greater than those of the lower curve. Using a time-dependent numerical model for population dynamics and energy flow in post-settlement oyster populations, the effect of these two filtration versus size relationships on simulations of population growth and reproductive effort were compared.