O livro apresenta os resultados de um estudo de um ano sobre os efeitos das descargas de resíduos de bauxita sobre a fauna de macroinvertebra de um rio jamaicano, o Cobre de Rio, com base em amostras mensais de quatro sites. Significativamente maiores níveis de temperatura e condutividade foram encontrados nos locais a jusante do ponto de descarga de efluente. A fauna de invertebrados dos dois sites imediatamente a jusante do ponto de descarga foi dominada por dois táxons de invertebrados: Baetis SP. (Fam. Baetidae) e Smicridea jamaicensis (Fam. Hydropsychidae). Esses táxons compostas entre 26 a 35% dos números nesses dois locais. A montante da entrada de resíduos de bauxita da Comunidade foi dominada por larvas de caddis preto de Helicopsyche ochthephila (Fam. Helicopsychidae) e Cubanoptilia tridens (Fam. Glossostomatidae), que também ocorreu no local mais a jusante da entrada dos resíduos. Raspadores de dominam o site enquanto coletoras de coletores são a categoria alimentação funcional predominante.

The paper sets out the results of a one year study on the effects of bauxite waste discharge on the macroinvertebrate fauna of a Jamaican river, the Rio Cobre, based on monthly samples from four sites. Significantly higher levels of temperature and conductivity were found at the sites downstream of the point of effluent discharge. The invertebrate fauna of the two sites immediately downstream of the point of discharge was dominated by two invertebrate taxa: Baetis sp. (Fam. Baetidae) and Smicridea jamaicensis (Fam. Hydropsychidae).These taxa made up between 26 to 35% of the numbers at these two sites. Upstream of the bauxite waste input the community was dominated by cased caddis larvae of Helicopsyche ochthephila (Fam. Helicopsychidae) and Cubanoptilia tridens (Fam. Glossostomatidae), which also occurred at the site furthest downstream from the waste input. Scrapers dominated at the upstream site whereas collector gatherers were the predominant functional feeding category at the impacted sites. The constituents of the bauxite waste are discussed and it is proposed that the changes in faunal composition which have resulted from waste input may be a consequence of habitat alteration due to increased deposits of suspended material rather than the chemical nature of the waste.