Biomass, Productivity, and Biomass Turnover (P/B) Ratios of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in High Elevation Ponds in St. Ann, Jamaica (West Indies)

Abstract From January 2014 to April, 2015, eight high elevation ponds were sampled in St. Ann Parish, Jamaica. These ponds were classified as small, mixed, or large based on cluster analysis, which created these groups based on size and physicochemical parameters. Regression of mass on length was completed for most benthic macroinvertebrate taxa, and consequently 170 length-mass equations were developed for use in mass determination locally and regionally. The sample area was taxonomically rich, consisting of 78 species, 43 families, and 14 orders, with class Insecta having the largest number of taxa. Biomass was constant over time, which implied that food availability was not limited for invertebrates in the sample area. The results indicated that biomass in the sample area was dominated by Aeshnidae and Belostomatidae, which had significantly higher values than most other taxa. Culicidae, and the families of Diptera in general, were not well represented in the biomass within the sample area. Total production for the sample area was estimated to be 398.87 g m-2yr-1, with the highest values for production being obtained for Anisoptera, Podocopoida, and Ephemeroptera; while the P/B ratio of Podocopoida was significantly higher than most taxa. When the results were assessed based on pond groups, families of the class Insecta, particularly Aeshnidae and Belostomatidae, had significantly high biomass in large and mixed ponds, while Physidae dominated the biomass of small ponds. The productivity results almost mirrored what was observed for biomass; however, Cypridoidea (ostracods) showed high productivity in the mixed group although its biomass contribution was <3%. These findings are the first to examine biomass, production and P/B ratios in a lentic habitat in Jamaica, compute length-mass equations, and form an important record against which other studies within the island and throughout the Caribbean can be compared to.