Abstract
Freshwater ecosystems are critical habitats for maintaining biodiversity, often providing refuge for organisms especially in urban settings. Baldwin County, GA is home to many freshwater lakes that are part of the Oconee River watershed. Despite ongoing water quality monitoring, aquatic macroinvertebrates are under studied in the area. Aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity of one forested and one residential lake in Milledgeville, GA was documented for the first time. Despite low sample size, community composition was significantly different between lakes, with 27 families in Lake Laurel (forested), 44 families in Lake Oliver Hardy (residential), and only 19 families collected from both lakes. Seasonal trends revealed the highest diversity in the summer. These data provide a baseline for the potential use of monitoring aquatic ecosystem health using aquatic macroinvertebrates in Milledgeville, GA.
Acknowledgements
Georgia College & State University’s Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences provided support in the form of space and equipment. The authors would like to thank Drs. Heather Proctor and Bruce Snyder for help with mite identification and Dr. Katie Stumpf for assistance with statistical analyses.
Recommended Citation
Ghioto, Heath Michael; Murdock, Michelle K.; Gutierrez, Nadya S.; and White, Kristine N. Ph.D.
(2023)
"FRESHWATER MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN BALDWIN COUNTY, GEORGIA,"
Georgia Journal of Science, Vol. 81, No. 2, Article 13.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.gaacademy.org/gjs/vol81/iss2/13