PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 11: Ecological Studies on Military Installations.
Presiding: B Collins
Monday, August 4. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Meeting Room 203.
The Survey of Freshwater Mollusks of Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Sukkestad, Kathryn *,1, Bryce, Thomas1, Keferl, Eugene2, 1 Fish & Wildlife Branch, Fort Stewart, Georgia, USA2 Coastal Georgia Community College, Brunswick, Georgia, USA
ABSTRACT- Fort Stewart is an 113,089-hectare U.S. Army Installation located on the Lower Coastal Plain of Georgia. The Canoochee and Ogeechee Rivers (Ogeechee River Basin) flow through the installation, and thousands of hectares of wetlands within their watersheds dominate the Fort Stewart landscape. The waters of the installation have never been systematically surveyed for freshwater mollusks. During the summers of 2001 and 2002, 79 sites across the installation were surveyed revealing eleven species of native freshwater Unionids. Two additional Unionid species were observed immediately adjacent to Fort Stewart waters. In addition, the exotic Asiatic clam,Corbicula fluminea, and eight species of freshwater gastropods were also observed. Timed searches were conducted to assess relative abundance of mussel populations. Preliminary survey results reveal a sparsely populated mussel community with limited distribution and low diversity. High Unionid abundance was limited to three locations: a low order stream reach below the Hinesville/Fort Stewart Regional Water Pollution Control Plant, a series of old abandoned borrow pits within the floodplain of the Canoochee River, and an oxbow slough on the Ogeechee River. Mussel abundance and diversity appeared to be positively influenced by alkalinity and pH. Increasing levels of total phosphorus appeared to favor mussel abundance up to 6 mg/l, beyond which mussel counts declined. The Asiatic clam was observed at all sample sites, except those occurring in a first order stream segment within the Altamaha River basin, located in the southwestern end of the installation. Results of this survey will provide environmental managers with the necessary data to better coordinate military mission activities to protect the aquatic resources of Fort Stewart.
Key words: unionid, fort stewart, freshwater mollusks, canoochee river