vonbert: Von Bertalanffy Growth Model
In fishgrowth: Fit Growth Curves to Fish Data
vonbert R Documentation
Von Bertalanffy Growth Model
Description
Fit a von Bertalanffy growth model to otoliths and/or tags, using the
Schnute-Fournier parametrization.
Usage
vonbert(par, data, silent = TRUE, ...)
vonbert_curve(t, L1, L2, k, t1, t2)
vonbert_objfun(par, data)
Arguments
par
a parameter list.
data
a data list.
silent
passed to MakeADFun.
...
passed to MakeADFun.
t
age (vector).
L1
predicted length at age t1.
L2
predicted length at age t2.
k
growth coefficient.
t1
age where predicted length is L1.
t2
age where predicted length is L2.
Details
The main function vonbert creates a model object, ready for parameter
estimation. The auxiliary functions vonbert_curve and
vonbert_objfun are called by the main function to calculate the
regression curve and objective function value. The user can also call the
auxiliary functions directly for plotting and model exploration.
The par list contains the following elements:
-
log_L1, predicted length at age t1
-
log_L2, predicted length at age t2
-
log_k, growth coefficient
-
log_sigma_min, growth variability at the shortest observed
length in the data
-
log_sigma_max (*), growth variability at the longest observed
length in the data
-
log_age (*), age at release of tagged individuals (vector)
*: The parameter log_sigma_max can be omitted to estimate growth
variability that does not vary with length. The parameter vector
log_age can be omitted to fit to otoliths only.
The data list contains the following elements:
-
Aoto (*), age from otoliths (vector)
-
Loto (*), length from otoliths (vector)
-
Lrel (*), length at release of tagged individuals (vector)
-
Lrec (*), length at recapture of tagged individuals (vector)
-
liberty (*), time at liberty of tagged individuals in years
(vector)
-
t1, age where predicted length is L1
-
t2, age where predicted length is L2
*: The data vectors Aoto and Loto can be omitted to fit to
tagging data only. The data vectors Lrel, Lrec, and
liberty can be omitted to fit to otoliths only.
Value
The vonbert function returns a TMB model object, produced by
MakeADFun.
The vonbert_curve function returns a numeric vector of predicted
length at age.
The vonbert_objfun function returns the negative log-likelihood as a
single number, describing the goodness of fit of par to the
data.
Note
The Schnute-Fournier parametrization used in vonbert reduces parameter
correlation and improves convergence reliability compared to the traditional
parametrization used in vonberto. Therefore, the vonbert
parametrization can be recommended for general usage, as both
parametrizations produce the same growth curve. However, there can be some
use cases where the traditional parametrization (Linf, k,
t0) is preferred over the Schnute-Fournier parametrization (L1,
L2, k).
The von Bertalanffy (1938) growth model, as parametrized by Schnute and
Fournier (1980), predicts length at age as:
\hat L_t ~=~ L_1 \;+\; (L_2-L_1)\,
\frac{1\,-\,e^{-k(t-t_1)}}{\,1\,-\,e^{-k(t_2-t_1)}\,}
The variability of length at age increases linearly with length,
\sigma_L ~=~ \alpha \,+\, \beta \hat L
where the slope is \beta=(\sigma_{\max}-\sigma_{\min}) /
(L_{\max}-L_{\min}), the
intercept is \alpha=\sigma_{\min} - \beta L_{\min}, and L_{\min} and L_{\max} are the
shortest and longest observed lengths in the data. Alternatively, growth
variability can be modelled as a constant
\sigma_L=\sigma_{\min} that does not vary with
length, by omitting log_sigma_max from the parameter list (see above).
The negative log-likelihood is calculated by comparing the observed and
predicted lengths:
nll_Loto <- -dnorm(Loto, Loto_hat, sigma_Loto, TRUE)
nll_Lrel <- -dnorm(Lrel, Lrel_hat, sigma_Lrel, TRUE)
nll_Lrec <- -dnorm(Lrec, Lrec_hat, sigma_Lrec, TRUE)
nll <- sum(nll_Loto) + sum(nll_Lrel) + sum(nll_Lrec)
References
von Bertalanffy, L. (1938).
A quantitative theory of organic growth.
Human Biology, 10, 181-213.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41447359.
Schnute, J. and Fournier, D. (1980).
A new approach to length-frequency analysis: Growth structure.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 37,
1337-1351.
\Sexpr[results=rd]{tools:::Rd_expr_doi("10.1139/f80-172")}.
The fishgrowth-package help page includes references describing
the parameter estimation method.
See Also
gcm, gompertz, gompertzo,
richards, richardso, schnute3,
vonbert, and vonberto are alternative growth models.
pred_band calculates a prediction band for a fitted growth
model.
otoliths_had, otoliths_skj, and
tags_skj are example datasets.
fishgrowth-package gives an overview of the package.
Examples
# Model 1: Fit to haddock otoliths
# Explore initial parameter values
plot(len~age, otoliths_had, xlim=c(0,18), ylim=c(0,105), pch=16,
col="#0080a010")
x <- seq(1, 18, 0.1)
lines(x, vonbert_curve(x, L1=18, L2=67, k=0.1, t1=1, t2=10), lty=3)
# Prepare parameters and data
init <- list(log_L1=log(18), log_L2=log(67), log_k=log(0.1),
log_sigma_min=log(3), log_sigma_max=log(3))
dat <- list(Aoto=otoliths_had$age, Loto=otoliths_had$len, t1=1, t2=10)
vonbert_objfun(init, dat)
# Fit model
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
report <- model$report()
sdreport <- sdreport(model)
# Plot results
Lhat <- with(report, vonbert_curve(x, L1, L2, k, t1, t2))
lines(x, Lhat, lwd=2, col=2)
legend("bottomright", c("initial curve","model fit"), col=c(1,2), lty=c(3,1),
lwd=c(1,2), bty="n", inset=0.02, y.intersp=1.25)
# Model summary
report[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min", "sigma_max")]
fit[-1]
summary(sdreport)
# Plot 95% prediction band
band <- pred_band(x, model)
areaplot::confplot(cbind(lower,upper)~age, band, xlim=c(0,18), ylim=c(0,100),
ylab="len", col="mistyrose")
points(len~age, otoliths_had, xlim=c(0,18), ylim=c(0,100),
pch=16, col="#0080a010")
lines(x, Lhat, lwd=2, col=2)
lines(lower~age, band, lty=1, lwd=0.5, col=2)
lines(upper~age, band, lty=1, lwd=0.5, col=2)
#############################################################################
# Model 2: Fit to skipjack otoliths and tags
# Explore initial parameter values
plot(len~age, otoliths_skj, xlim=c(0,4), ylim=c(0,100))
x <- seq(0, 4, 0.1)
points(lenRel~I(lenRel/60), tags_skj, col=4)
points(lenRec~I(lenRel/60+liberty), tags_skj, col=3)
lines(x, vonbert_curve(x, L1=25, L2=75, k=0.8, t1=0, t2=4), lty=2)
legend("bottomright", c("otoliths","tag releases","tac recaptures",
"initial curve"), col=c(1,4,3,1), pch=c(1,1,1,NA), lty=c(0,0,0,2),
lwd=c(1.2,1.2,1.2,1), bty="n", inset=0.02, y.intersp=1.25)
# Prepare parameters and data
init <- list(log_L1=log(25), log_L2=log(75), log_k=log(0.8),
log_sigma_min=log(3), log_sigma_max=log(3),
log_age=log(tags_skj$lenRel/60))
dat <- list(Aoto=otoliths_skj$age, Loto=otoliths_skj$len,
Lrel=tags_skj$lenRel, Lrec=tags_skj$lenRec,
liberty=tags_skj$liberty, t1=0, t2=4)
vonbert_objfun(init, dat)
# Fit model
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
report <- model$report()
sdreport <- sdreport(model)
# Plot results
plot(len~age, otoliths_skj, xlim=c(0,4), ylim=c(0,100))
points(report$age, report$Lrel, col=4)
points(report$age+report$liberty, report$Lrec, col=3)
Lhat <- with(report, vonbert_curve(x, L1, L2, k, t1, t2))
lines(x, Lhat, lwd=2)
legend("bottomright", c("otoliths","tag releases","tac recaptures",
"model fit"), col=c(1,4,3,1), pch=c(1,1,1,NA), lty=c(0,0,0,1),
lwd=c(1.2,1.2,1.2,2), bty="n", inset=0.02, y.intersp=1.25)
# Model summary
report[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min", "sigma_max")]
fit[-1]
head(summary(sdreport), 5)
#############################################################################
# Model 3: Fit to skipjack otoliths only
init <- list(log_L1=log(25), log_L2=log(75), log_k=log(0.8),
log_sigma_min=log(3), log_sigma_max=log(3))
dat <- list(Aoto=otoliths_skj$age, Loto=otoliths_skj$len, t1=0, t2=4)
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
model$report()[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min", "sigma_max")]
#############################################################################
# Model 4: Fit to skipjack otoliths only,
# but now estimating constant sigma instead of sigma varying by length
# We do this by omitting log_sigma_max
init <- list(log_L1=log(25), log_L2=log(75), log_k=log(0.8),
log_sigma_min=log(3))
dat <- list(Aoto=otoliths_skj$age, Loto=otoliths_skj$len, t1=0, t2=4)
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
model$report()[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min")]
#############################################################################
# Model 5: Fit to skipjack tags only
init <- list(log_L1=log(25), log_L2=log(75), log_k=log(0.8),
log_sigma_min=log(3), log_sigma_max=log(3),
log_age=log(tags_skj$lenRel/60))
dat <- list(Lrel=tags_skj$lenRel, Lrec=tags_skj$lenRec,
liberty=tags_skj$liberty, t1=0, t2=4)
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
model$report()[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min", "sigma_max")]
fishgrowth documentation built on April 11, 2025, 5:52 p.m.
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| vonbert | R Documentation |
Von Bertalanffy Growth Model
Description
Fit a von Bertalanffy growth model to otoliths and/or tags, using the Schnute-Fournier parametrization.
Usage
vonbert(par, data, silent = TRUE, ...)
vonbert_curve(t, L1, L2, k, t1, t2)
vonbert_objfun(par, data)
Arguments
par |
a parameter list. |
data |
a data list. |
silent |
passed to |
... |
passed to |
t |
age (vector). |
L1 |
predicted length at age |
L2 |
predicted length at age |
k |
growth coefficient. |
t1 |
age where predicted length is |
t2 |
age where predicted length is |
Details
The main function vonbert creates a model object, ready for parameter
estimation. The auxiliary functions vonbert_curve and
vonbert_objfun are called by the main function to calculate the
regression curve and objective function value. The user can also call the
auxiliary functions directly for plotting and model exploration.
The par list contains the following elements:
-
log_L1, predicted length at aget1 -
log_L2, predicted length at aget2 -
log_k, growth coefficient -
log_sigma_min, growth variability at the shortest observed length in the data -
log_sigma_max(*), growth variability at the longest observed length in the data -
log_age(*), age at release of tagged individuals (vector)
*: The parameter log_sigma_max can be omitted to estimate growth
variability that does not vary with length. The parameter vector
log_age can be omitted to fit to otoliths only.
The data list contains the following elements:
-
Aoto(*), age from otoliths (vector) -
Loto(*), length from otoliths (vector) -
Lrel(*), length at release of tagged individuals (vector) -
Lrec(*), length at recapture of tagged individuals (vector) -
liberty(*), time at liberty of tagged individuals in years (vector) -
t1, age where predicted length isL1 -
t2, age where predicted length isL2
*: The data vectors Aoto and Loto can be omitted to fit to
tagging data only. The data vectors Lrel, Lrec, and
liberty can be omitted to fit to otoliths only.
Value
The vonbert function returns a TMB model object, produced by
MakeADFun.
The vonbert_curve function returns a numeric vector of predicted
length at age.
The vonbert_objfun function returns the negative log-likelihood as a
single number, describing the goodness of fit of par to the
data.
Note
The Schnute-Fournier parametrization used in vonbert reduces parameter
correlation and improves convergence reliability compared to the traditional
parametrization used in vonberto. Therefore, the vonbert
parametrization can be recommended for general usage, as both
parametrizations produce the same growth curve. However, there can be some
use cases where the traditional parametrization (Linf, k,
t0) is preferred over the Schnute-Fournier parametrization (L1,
L2, k).
The von Bertalanffy (1938) growth model, as parametrized by Schnute and Fournier (1980), predicts length at age as:
\hat L_t ~=~ L_1 \;+\; (L_2-L_1)\,
\frac{1\,-\,e^{-k(t-t_1)}}{\,1\,-\,e^{-k(t_2-t_1)}\,}
The variability of length at age increases linearly with length,
\sigma_L ~=~ \alpha \,+\, \beta \hat L
where the slope is \beta=(\sigma_{\max}-\sigma_{\min}) /
(L_{\max}-L_{\min}), the
intercept is \alpha=\sigma_{\min} - \beta L_{\min}, and L_{\min} and L_{\max} are the
shortest and longest observed lengths in the data. Alternatively, growth
variability can be modelled as a constant
\sigma_L=\sigma_{\min} that does not vary with
length, by omitting log_sigma_max from the parameter list (see above).
The negative log-likelihood is calculated by comparing the observed and predicted lengths:
nll_Loto <- -dnorm(Loto, Loto_hat, sigma_Loto, TRUE) nll_Lrel <- -dnorm(Lrel, Lrel_hat, sigma_Lrel, TRUE) nll_Lrec <- -dnorm(Lrec, Lrec_hat, sigma_Lrec, TRUE) nll <- sum(nll_Loto) + sum(nll_Lrel) + sum(nll_Lrec)
References
von Bertalanffy, L. (1938). A quantitative theory of organic growth. Human Biology, 10, 181-213. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41447359.
Schnute, J. and Fournier, D. (1980). A new approach to length-frequency analysis: Growth structure. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 37, 1337-1351. \Sexpr[results=rd]{tools:::Rd_expr_doi("10.1139/f80-172")}.
The fishgrowth-package help page includes references describing
the parameter estimation method.
See Also
gcm, gompertz, gompertzo,
richards, richardso, schnute3,
vonbert, and vonberto are alternative growth models.
pred_band calculates a prediction band for a fitted growth
model.
otoliths_had, otoliths_skj, and
tags_skj are example datasets.
fishgrowth-package gives an overview of the package.
Examples
# Model 1: Fit to haddock otoliths
# Explore initial parameter values
plot(len~age, otoliths_had, xlim=c(0,18), ylim=c(0,105), pch=16,
col="#0080a010")
x <- seq(1, 18, 0.1)
lines(x, vonbert_curve(x, L1=18, L2=67, k=0.1, t1=1, t2=10), lty=3)
# Prepare parameters and data
init <- list(log_L1=log(18), log_L2=log(67), log_k=log(0.1),
log_sigma_min=log(3), log_sigma_max=log(3))
dat <- list(Aoto=otoliths_had$age, Loto=otoliths_had$len, t1=1, t2=10)
vonbert_objfun(init, dat)
# Fit model
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
report <- model$report()
sdreport <- sdreport(model)
# Plot results
Lhat <- with(report, vonbert_curve(x, L1, L2, k, t1, t2))
lines(x, Lhat, lwd=2, col=2)
legend("bottomright", c("initial curve","model fit"), col=c(1,2), lty=c(3,1),
lwd=c(1,2), bty="n", inset=0.02, y.intersp=1.25)
# Model summary
report[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min", "sigma_max")]
fit[-1]
summary(sdreport)
# Plot 95% prediction band
band <- pred_band(x, model)
areaplot::confplot(cbind(lower,upper)~age, band, xlim=c(0,18), ylim=c(0,100),
ylab="len", col="mistyrose")
points(len~age, otoliths_had, xlim=c(0,18), ylim=c(0,100),
pch=16, col="#0080a010")
lines(x, Lhat, lwd=2, col=2)
lines(lower~age, band, lty=1, lwd=0.5, col=2)
lines(upper~age, band, lty=1, lwd=0.5, col=2)
#############################################################################
# Model 2: Fit to skipjack otoliths and tags
# Explore initial parameter values
plot(len~age, otoliths_skj, xlim=c(0,4), ylim=c(0,100))
x <- seq(0, 4, 0.1)
points(lenRel~I(lenRel/60), tags_skj, col=4)
points(lenRec~I(lenRel/60+liberty), tags_skj, col=3)
lines(x, vonbert_curve(x, L1=25, L2=75, k=0.8, t1=0, t2=4), lty=2)
legend("bottomright", c("otoliths","tag releases","tac recaptures",
"initial curve"), col=c(1,4,3,1), pch=c(1,1,1,NA), lty=c(0,0,0,2),
lwd=c(1.2,1.2,1.2,1), bty="n", inset=0.02, y.intersp=1.25)
# Prepare parameters and data
init <- list(log_L1=log(25), log_L2=log(75), log_k=log(0.8),
log_sigma_min=log(3), log_sigma_max=log(3),
log_age=log(tags_skj$lenRel/60))
dat <- list(Aoto=otoliths_skj$age, Loto=otoliths_skj$len,
Lrel=tags_skj$lenRel, Lrec=tags_skj$lenRec,
liberty=tags_skj$liberty, t1=0, t2=4)
vonbert_objfun(init, dat)
# Fit model
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
report <- model$report()
sdreport <- sdreport(model)
# Plot results
plot(len~age, otoliths_skj, xlim=c(0,4), ylim=c(0,100))
points(report$age, report$Lrel, col=4)
points(report$age+report$liberty, report$Lrec, col=3)
Lhat <- with(report, vonbert_curve(x, L1, L2, k, t1, t2))
lines(x, Lhat, lwd=2)
legend("bottomright", c("otoliths","tag releases","tac recaptures",
"model fit"), col=c(1,4,3,1), pch=c(1,1,1,NA), lty=c(0,0,0,1),
lwd=c(1.2,1.2,1.2,2), bty="n", inset=0.02, y.intersp=1.25)
# Model summary
report[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min", "sigma_max")]
fit[-1]
head(summary(sdreport), 5)
#############################################################################
# Model 3: Fit to skipjack otoliths only
init <- list(log_L1=log(25), log_L2=log(75), log_k=log(0.8),
log_sigma_min=log(3), log_sigma_max=log(3))
dat <- list(Aoto=otoliths_skj$age, Loto=otoliths_skj$len, t1=0, t2=4)
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
model$report()[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min", "sigma_max")]
#############################################################################
# Model 4: Fit to skipjack otoliths only,
# but now estimating constant sigma instead of sigma varying by length
# We do this by omitting log_sigma_max
init <- list(log_L1=log(25), log_L2=log(75), log_k=log(0.8),
log_sigma_min=log(3))
dat <- list(Aoto=otoliths_skj$age, Loto=otoliths_skj$len, t1=0, t2=4)
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
model$report()[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min")]
#############################################################################
# Model 5: Fit to skipjack tags only
init <- list(log_L1=log(25), log_L2=log(75), log_k=log(0.8),
log_sigma_min=log(3), log_sigma_max=log(3),
log_age=log(tags_skj$lenRel/60))
dat <- list(Lrel=tags_skj$lenRel, Lrec=tags_skj$lenRec,
liberty=tags_skj$liberty, t1=0, t2=4)
model <- vonbert(init, dat)
fit <- nlminb(model$par, model$fn, model$gr,
control=list(eval.max=1e4, iter.max=1e4))
model$report()[c("L1", "L2", "k", "sigma_min", "sigma_max")]
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