The model parameters used in this study were estimated by Saraiva et al. (2011b) using several
data sets from the literature on the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), following the covariation
method described in Lika et al. (2011). This method is based on the minimization of the weight
sum of squares deviation between data and model results. The data include a collection of
observations (single data points and/or time series) and a set of pseudo-data (average of parameters
obtained from a large collection of organisms, used to restrict the possible parameter
combinations). The general idea behind the covariation method is to let all available information
compete, or interact, to produce the end result, implying the estimation of all parameters
from all data sets simultaneously. Saraiva et al. (2011b) also provides a comparison with previous
parameter sets in terms of model performance and approximation to the data, concluding
that the new parameter set should lead to better results.