Abstract
A 1979 study of the macrobenthos of Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi, identified 20 genera of invertebrates. Benthic invertebrate productivity ranged from 1.45 g m−2 yr−1 in profundal zones to 5.07 g m−2 yr−1 in littoral zones with major contributors including Hexagenia bilineata, Chaoborus punctipennis, Chironomus attenuatus, Tanypus stellatus and Coelotanypus tricolor. Numerical and species variation were influenced by depth zones, factors associated with reservoir age (17 years), and sediment and vegetative development in the reservoir benthic zones. Littoral productivity, although limited by lack of zone development, was greater than that of flood control reservoirs in the south central United States because of water level stability. Profundal productivity was limited by hypolimnional oxygen stress. Benthos was a major food source of freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) which forms a significant portion of the reservoir fisheries.
Published Version
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