Production ecology

Abstract

Production ecology represents one of the major areas where much effort has been directed within chironomid research. Indeed, chironomids are perhaps the most frequently treated group among macroinvertebrates in freshwater productivity studies. This is attributable to the fact that larval chironomids often dominate lake benthos which have been subject to numerous productivity studies, particularly at the instigation of the International Biological Programme since the mid 1960s. In most lentic systems, immature Chironomidae form an important link between primary producers, such as phytoplankton and benthic algae, and secondary consumers, most notably fish. Because the latter often assume an economic importance in many lake systems world-wide, productivity of chironomids as food for fish has been considered of immediate relevance to fish productivity. In addition, increasing problems of lake eutrophication (section 15.2) focused attention on the Chironomidae as a potential agent of processing and removing excess nutrients, particularly phosphorus, from freshwater systems. Three general characteristics of lake chironomids (their abundance in the benthos, sediment detritus feeding and emergence as adults with a large proportion perishing on the land) make them more convenient as removers of phosphorus than artificial removal of fish or marginal aquatic plants. Thus, studies of chironomid productivity can contribute to understanding ecosystem dynamics in freshwaters, with important applied implications.