been studied in depth. What is also particularly significant, however, is the
way production was estimated for each community. Special effort was made to
include all taxa of macrofauna and temporary meiofauna (e.g. retained by 100
to 250mm mesh sieves), and production calculations for each community were
independent of one another. In other words, production calculations were
based entirely on system-specific and taxon-specific growth rates and life-
history studies. This is an important point because many estimates of produc-
tion are based on CPIs, P/Bs, or growth rates that have been derived from other
species and/or systems. This is clearly problematical for analyses that require
independent data.
Ogeechee River
The Ogeechee is a low-gradient coastal plain river in which the major stable
habitat is submerged wood (snags). Mean daily water temperature ranges from
2.0 to 30.8 8 C (annual mean19.3 8 C) and mean annual discharge is 67 m^3 s^1 .The
densities, biomass, production and annual P/B values for its snag-inhabiting
community, which is composed of more than 40 invertebrate taxa, were esti-
mated during 1982 (Benke & Parsons, 1990 ;Benke&Jacobi, 1994 ;Benke&
Wallace, 1997 ; Benke, 1998 ;Benkeet al., 2001; Benke, 2002 ). Twenty snag samples
were collected at least monthly. Care was taken to obtain the full range of insect
size classes by using a 100mm mesh sieve. Individual growth studies were done for
many of the small fast-growing taxa (selected Diptera and Ephemeroptera) so that
accurate taxon-specific estimates of biomass turnover (annual P/B) could be
obtained. The snag community is extremely productive, when compared with
the shifting-sand community of the main channel. Total annual snag production
during the study was 109.3 g DM m^2 (snag surface area) for primary consumers,
30.8 g DM m^2 for omnivores, and 7.5 g DM m^2 for predators.Upper Ball Creek
Upper Ball Creek is a fishless, high-gradient headwater stream in the Appalachian
Mountains of western North Carolina, USA. Its catchment is heavily forested
and relatively undisturbed. Annual mean daily water temperature and discharge
are 8.4 8 Cand20Ls^1 , respectively. Production of its macroinvertebrate commun-
ity (71 taxa) was estimated for one year during 1982–1983 (Huryn & Wallace,
1986 , 1987a, 1987b;Huryn, 1990 ). Twenty samples were taken at monthly inter-
vals at random locations within a 400-metre reach using a Surber sampler fitted
with a 232mm mesh net or a coring device. Samples were processed using a
100 mm sieve. Individual growth studies were done for many of the small fast-
growing taxa (Chironomidae) and slow growing taxa (crayfish) so that accurate
taxon-specific estimates of biomass turnover (annual P/B) could be obtained.
Annual macroinvertebrate production was 5.1 and 1.9 g ash-free dry mass m^2
for primary and secondary consumers, respectively.58 A. D. HURYN AND A. C. BENKE