Annual production of estuarine fauna in different environmental conditions: An evaluation of the estimation methods

Secondary production is one of the most comprehensive measurements of ecosystem health. Production of five estuarine species, with different life history and abundance in the ecosystem, was estimated for 2 consecutive years at a Zostera noltii bed and sand-muddy area, with contrasted environmental conditions. Calculations were performed using different estimation methods, commonly cited in secondary production studies. Annual production estimated by cohort increment summation varied between 43.3 and 209.2 g AFDW m− 2 y− 1. All the other methods were compared with the results obtained from this methodology to evaluate each method's performance. In general, satisfactory results were obtained with Brey (2001) [Brey, T., 2001. Population dynamics in benthic invertebrates. A virtual handbook. Version 01.2. http://www.awi-bremerhaven.de/Benthic/Ecosystem/FoodWeb/Handbook/main.html. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany] version 4-04 (deviations that ranged between − 4 to + 10%). The responses of the other empirical methods were more variable, depending on the species characteristics. Therefore, the optimal selection of an empirical method in secondary production studies depends on the species considered and on the quality of the parameters required for the application of the method. Brey (2001) [Brey, T., 2001. Population dynamics in benthic invertebrates. A virtual handbook. Version 01.2. http://www.awi-bremerhaven.de/Benthic/Ecosystem/FoodWeb/Handbook/main.html. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany] version 4-04 was considered the best methodology. For the less representative species the simple sum of biomass increments from one sampling date to the next may be an easy and valid option.