SREL Reprint #2915

Biotic Communities: Aquatic Invertebrates

Barbara E. Taylor

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802, USA

Abstract: Multicellular aquatic invertebrates span a taxonomic range from sponges to insects. They are abundant in all of the streams, floodplains, impoundments, and wetland ponds of the Savannah River Site (SRS). They also inhabit springs, ditches, puddles, tree holes, and even groundwater. Although often inconspicuous to the human observer, they play central roles in the functioning of those systems. Many are benthic, living in or on sediments, or littoral, living in shallow water at the margins of ponds or in wetlands; others are planktonic, swimming or drifting in open water. Their trophic roles include primary consumers, detritivores, and predators. Aquatic invertebrates in turn constitute the main food resources for many fishes and some amphibians; they are also consumed by reptiles, birds, and mammals such as raccoons (Procyon lotor) and bats.

SREL Reprint #2915

Taylor, B. E. 2005. Biotic Communities: Aquatic Invertebrates. pp. 161-175 In J. C. Kilgo and J. I. Blake (Eds.). Ecology and Management of a Forested Landscape: Fifty Years on the Savannah River Site. Island Press.

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