Influence of Benthos Life History upon the Estimation of Secondary Production

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Abstract
Synchrony of cohorts is one of the life history features having most important effects upon the estimation of benthic secondary production, because most methods depend heavily upon recognition of discrete cohorts. The Hynes method, intended to circumvent the necessity of cohort distinction, still depends upon determination of trophic level, voltinism, minimum and maximum sizes, and length of aquatic life. Knowledge of preferred habitat, distribution, and behavior are essential for accurate production estimates. Use of the production:mean standing stock (P/B) ratio (fairly constant at about 5 for cohort P/B of benthic invertebrates) to approximate production from standing stock data, also must account for trophic level, voltinism, and length of aquatic life. Various life history features are compared as to their probable effect on production estimation; in addition, they are compared to the effect of sampling errors. Key words: benthos, life history, production, secondary production, productivity

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