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Secondary production of chironomid communities in insecticide‐treated and untreated headwater streams
Author(s) -
LUGTHART GARRIT J.,
WALLACE J. BRUCE,
HURYN ALEXANDER D.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
freshwater biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2427
pISSN - 0046-5070
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1990.tb00721.x
Subject(s) - chironomidae , streams , environmental science , ecology , biology , larva , computer network , computer science
SUMMARY.1 Production of chironomid communities of three first order, Appalachian Mountain streams was estimated and the effects of an insecticide‐induced disturbance on chironomid production was examined. 2 Annual production of non‐Tanypodinae chironomids in the streams during the first study year (no treatment) ranged from 1366 to 3636 mg m −2 , while production of Tanypodinae chironomids ranged from 48 to 116 mg m −2 . Production/biomass ratios ranged between 19 and 23 for non‐Tanypodinae and from 6 to 7 for Tanypodinae chironomids. 3 Insecticide applications resulted in significantly lower chironomid densities and biomass in the treated stream relative to the pretreatment year and reference stream. Annual production of non‐Tanypodinae (703 mg m −2 ) and Tanypodinae (32 mg m −2 ) chironomids in the treated stream decreased by 64% and 67%, respectively, compared with the pretreatment year. In contrast, production of non‐Tanypodinae (2084 mg m −2 ) increased by 34% and production of Tanypodinae (96 mg m −2 ) by 57% in the reference stream.