Mb. Griffith et al., GROWTH AND SECONDARY PRODUCTION OF PARACAPNIA-ANGULATA HANSON (PLECOPTERA, CAPNIIDAE) IN APPALACHIAN STREAMS AFFECTED BY ACID PRECIPITATION, Canadian journal of zoology, 71(4), 1993, pp. 735-743
Paracapnia angulata in West Virginia occurs in headwater streams that
range in pH from 4.5 to 7.5. It is representative of a number of speci
es of Plecoptera, which often increase in abundance in acidic streams
because they are tolerant of low pH and related changes in water quali
ty associated with acid precipitation. We compared growth rates and se
condary production of P. angulata in four streams, SFR, WS4, WS3, and
HSR, in which mean streamwater pH was 4.26, 5.99, 6.07, and 7.48, resp
ectively. Mean specific growth rates, in terms of dry mass for P. angu
lata, were higher in the two neutral streams than in the more alkaline
stream or the acidic stream. Secondary production of P. angulata was
highest in the acidic stream SFR, 106.2 +/- 16.4 mg . m-2 . yr-1 (mean
+/- 2 SE), and was 34.0 +/- 12.1 mg . m-2 . yr-1 in WS4, 32.7 +/- 3.8
mg . m-2. yr-1 in WS3, and 35.4 +/- 3.6 mg . m-2 . yr-1 in HSR. The i
ncreased secondary production of P. angulata was related to greater me
an abundance and biomass in SFR; and the production/biomass ratio for
this acidic stream was lower than for the other streams.