Inter-relationships among demographic traits comprising amphipod production and turnover

Hyalella azteca (Amphipoda) were sampled in eight Canadian Shield lakes, and the inter-relationships among life history traits were used to determine the sensitivity of production and turnover rates to demographic variation. Production was positively related to density and negatively related to both mortality and somatic growth. Turnover rates did not vary significantly with respect to any demographic traits. Studies should advance from simply documenting production to instead describing ‘production ecology’ if an understanding of the environmental determinance of population regulation is desired.