SREL Reprint #2360

Carolina bays: ecology of aquatic invertebrates and perspectives on conservation

Barbara E. Taylor, Douglas A. Leeper, Morgan A. McClure, and Adrienne E. DeBiase

Abstract: Carolina bays are geomorphically distinctive basins of the Atlantic Coastal Plain of North America. Most contain wetland ponds, and a few contain shallow lakes. They are abundant, and they constitute an important type of natural lentic habitat in the region. Fluctuating water level is a primary factor influencing composition and dynamics of the invertebrates. The occurrence of fish is also an important factor: occasional drying combined with absence of surface inlets or outlets eliminates fish from many bays. Many bays and much of their surrounding landscapes have been heavily altered by human activity. Because invertebrate assemblages are diverse among as well as within bays, maintenance of the diversity of invertebrates (and other animals) probably depends on protecting groups of these habitats, as well as the other aquatic habitats that can serve as seasonally alternate habitats,for transient members of the bay assemblages.

SREL Reprint #2360

Taylor, B.E., D.A. Leeper, M.A. McClure, and A.E. DeBiase. 1999. Carolina bays: ecology of aquatic invertebrates and perspectives on conservation. pp. 167-196 In: Batzer, D.P., R.B. Rader, and S.A. Wissinger (Eds.). Invertebrates of Freshwater Wetlands of North America: Ecology and Management. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).