SREL ecotoxicologists measured mercury, a wide-spread pollutant in many wetland ecosystems, in largemouth bass from five reservoirs in South Carolina.  Mercury levels in bass on the SRS were elevated relative to bass from publicly accessible reservoirs. Mercury levels in all bass from the publicly accessible reservoirs were below U.S. Food and Drug Administration action levels, but most fish samples fell into or exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency’s consumption category of “no more than one per week”.     Back to SC/GA

From 2000 to 2007, SREL Outreach educators and scientists reached more than 100,000 Aiken County residents with programs and events. Topics included local biodiversity, watershed values, and contaminants in the environment.

Aquatic macroinvertebrates—animals such as larval dragonflies, stoneflies, and mayflies—are an excellent indicator of stream water quality. SREL aquatic biologists and entomologists surveyed macroinvertebrates in streams in four SC counties. Their data for the Upper Three Runs Creek watershed in Aiken County, in conjunction with studies from Clemson University, showed this SC creek to have the highest aquatic insect biodiversity of any stream in the world.

SREL researchers and volunteers are partnering with local government, civic groups, and schools with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to provide watershed education and help restore the City of Aiken's Carolina Bay Preserve by removing invasive plant species from the 24-acre tract.

SREL wetland biologists have decades of experience in studying the ecology of wetlands. Ecologists generally recognize the value of seasonal wetlands, but these wetlands are often ignored in landscape management decisions and practices, including golf course design. SREL researchers sampled the amphibians and reptiles that use wetland habitats on five local golf courses for three years in the sandhills of South Carolina and Georgia, and compared these survey data to concurrent surveys at 11 nearby (off-course) seasonal wetlands. For more info, go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/projects/DScott/GolfCourseWetlands.htm.

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is considered to be declining throughout its range and is federally listed in the western portion of its range. SREL herpetologists are conducting intensive studies of gopher tortoise populations in several locales, including a tortoise colony near Windsor, in order to better understand basic ecology as well as develop more effective techniques for management of tortoises and their habitats. Scientists are particularly interested in tortoise translocation studies--removing animals from lands slated for development and relocating them elsewhere as a short-term conservation solution. For more info, go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/projects/TDT%20-%20SRStortoiserepatriation.pdf.

Population declines prompted listing of the Wood Stork as a federally endangered bird species in 1984. SREL ornithologists studied the foraging behavior of Wood Storks, including nocturnal activities, age-specific foraging success, and behavioral interactions at Kathwood near Beech Island. For more info go to http://www.uga.edu/srel/stork.htm.   Back to SC/GA

In 2002, SREL Outreach educators reached 172 students at three Allendale County schools with programs on the environment.

It is well known that bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotic drugs. Microbial resistance to antibiotics is often accompanied by resistance to pollutants such as heavy metals. Some of the same genetic mechanisms that allow bacteria to become less harmed by drugs also allow them to survive in polluted environments. SREL microbial ecologists learned that exposure to heavy metals in polluted habitats selects for antibiotic resistant bacteria. As resistance to antibiotics develops among bacteria in metal-contaminated environments there may be implications for human health. For more information about this major study funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, go to http://isarco.srel.edu/.      Back to SC/GA

SREL Outreach educators have presented programs to Denmark Technical College about local biodiversity and careers in science.           Back to SC/GA

From 2001 to 2006, SREL Outreach educators and scientists reached more than 9,000 Beaufort County residents with programs and events. Topics included local biodiversity, watershed values, and contaminants in the environment.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the most prominent threats to wildlife species worldwide. Halting habitat loss completely is not feasible; however, reducing rates and minimizing environmental impacts are more achievable goals. This dilemma drives innovative science to determine how to develop land in a sustainable manner for wildlife persistence. As the most rapidly developing region in the nation, the southeastern United States is an ideal setting to study this phenomenon. An SREL graduate student is collaborating with a coastal development company to assess development impacts on wildlife related to large-scale land alterations and roads. Palmetto Bluff is a Crescent Resources Development in Beaufort County whose mission includes a sustainable development approach that allows for persistence of wildlife populations while ensuring safety of human inhabitants.

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In 2001, SREL Outreach educators spoke to 20 Berkeley County residents about the value of local biodiversity.

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Understanding the genetic structure and variation in a population can be important not only to understand a species ecology, but also to enable better informed conservation and management decisions. SREL geneticists collaborated with a USC graduate student to investigate the population genetic structure of the diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin), within and among estuaries. The results from this study will allow researchers to make recommendations for conservation and management of terrapins, in particular to evaluate potential genetic effects of translocating animals within and among sites.

Population declines prompted listing of the Wood Stork as a federally endangered bird species in 1984. SREL ornithologists monitored Wood Stork breeding success (number of fledged young per nesting attempt) per year at the PonPon colony and Dungannon colony in Charleston County. This monitoring provides data for scientists to compare annual success among years and the progress these birds are making toward species recovery. For more info go to http://www.uga.edu/srel/stork.htm.

US EPA Superfund sites near have high levels of pollutants, which cause a variety of ecological damage. Bacteria can acquire new genetic material through a process called horizontal gene transfer. This process enables bacteria to rapidly evolve, as is evidenced by the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. One genetic element involved in gene transfer is called the integron. SREL graduate student research funded by NOAA demonstrated that integrons are more abundant in metal-contaminated estuaries (Shipyard Creek, US EPA Superfund Site; LCP Chemical: US EPA Superfund Site) compared to reference estuaries (ACE Basin: US National Wildlife Refuge), indicating that gene transfer potential is higher in metal-exposed bacterial communities. For more info go to http://isarco.srel.edu and http://mswright.myweb.uga.edu.

From 2001 to 2006, SREL Outreach educators and scientists reached more than 10,000 Charleston County residents with programs and events. Topics included local biodiversity, watershed values, and contaminants in the environment.

SREL ecologists worked with Charleston Aquarium personnel, SRS scientists, and USC ichthyologists to produce The Fishes of the Middle Savannah River Basin.

National Park surveys--For many of our National Parks in the Southeast and elsewhere, surprisingly little is known about the reptile and amphibian species that occur in the parks. SREL herpetologists conducted surveys for the National Park Service in 16 sites. For more info, go to http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/nps/npshome.htm.

SREL ecologists conduct research using plants to deal with environmental problems. Often, this kind of research involves phytoremediation, which is the use of plants to clean up environmental contaminants. While the use of such standard plants such as hybrid poplar or willow have been used on the majority of groundwater remediation projects, there has been an increasing interest in the use of ‘native’ vegetation for remediation work. This would allow for the combined remediation and restoration of impacted sites. This can be critically important in areas where there are limitations on the introduction of non-native species, as well as on large scale projects such as the restoration of decommissioned military bases. SREL ecologists have researched using native and naturalized plants of the Southeast for phytoremediation. A study of deciduous trees has shown that sweetgum and sycamore have excellent potential for remediation purposes. Also, Longleaf Pine, itself considered vital to revegetation efforts, is may be useful in the uptake and degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE), a pervasive contaminant in groundwater. For more info, go to http://www.sph.sc.edu/enhs/newman/research.htm.

SREL scientists are interested in the effects that a human activity, crab trapping, can have on populations of a salt marsh turtle species. Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) occur from Cape Cod to Texas in estuarine environments along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. These small, attractive turtles of the salt marsh are common in many of the tidal creeks bordering Kiawah Island, South Carolina. SREL ecologists initiated a long-term mark-recapture study in 1983 to monitor diamondback terrapins in the tidal creek tributaries of the Kiawah River. Diamondback terrapins are the only turtle that inhabits estuarine habitats in the United States and were commercially harvested until recently. They are still commercially harvested in some states (e.g., Maryland). Terrapin populations have been experiencing declines throughout their range due to several threats. Visit the Diamondback Terrapin Working Group website for more info on research and conservation efforts throughout their range.  One of the greatest threats to terrapins may be drowning in crab traps. For more info, go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/projects/KIAWAH.HTM.

Many SREL ecotoxicologists focus of the effects that contaminants in the environment have of natural plant and animal populations. Mercury contamination is an urgent environmental problem threatening the health and stability of coastal salt marshes worldwide. Identifying the effects mercury on biota will help researchers develop management plans to preserve the quality of sensitive coastal habitats. SREL graduate students are investigating the transfer of mercury from mothers to babies in Carolina diamondback terrapins (Malaclemmys terrapin centrata ) at four sites along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. For more info, go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/staff/AGreenProjects.htm.

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SREL ecotoxicologists measured mercury, a wide-spread pollutant in many wetland ecosystems, in largemouth bass from five reservoirs in South Carolina.  Mercury levels in bass on the SRS were elevated relative to bass from publicly accessible reservoirs. Mercury levels in all bass from the publicly accessible reservoirs were below U.S. Food and Drug Administration action levels, but most fish samples fell into or exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency’s consumption category of “no more than one per week”.                Back to SC/GA

In 2003 and 2004, SREL Outreach educators provided programs to more than 100 Colleton County residents.

Population declines prompted listing of the Wood Stork as a federally endangered bird species in 1984. SREL ornithologists monitored Wood Stork breeding success (number of fledged young per nesting attempt) per year at the White Hall colony in Colleton County. Wood Storks were also captured with rocket nets and radio or satellite transmitters were attached so that researchers could examine movement patterns of these far-ranging birds. This monitoring provides data for scientists to compare annual success among years and the progress these birds are making toward species recovery. For more info go to http://www.uga.edu/srel/stork.htm.   Back to SC/GA

From 2001 to 2006, SREL Outreach educators presented 14 programs to 190 students at the S.C. Governor's School for Science and Math.       Back to SC/GA

In 2006, SREL Outreach educators provided programs to  200 Dorchester County residents.     Back to SC/GA

From 2000 to 2007, SREL Outreach educators and scientists reached nearly 3,000 Edgefield County students and adults with programs on local biodiversity, science activities, wetlands, and contaminants in the environment.

SREL wetland biologists have decades of experience in studying the ecology of wetlands. Ecologists generally recognize the value of seasonal wetlands, but these wetlands are often ignored in landscape management decisions and practices, including golf course design. SREL researchers sampled the amphibians and reptiles that use wetland habitats on five local golf courses for three years in the sandhills of South Carolina and Georgia, and compared these survey data to concurrent surveys at 11 nearby (off-course) seasonal wetlands. For more info, go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/projects/DScott/GolfCourseWetlands.htm.

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SREL geneticists collaborated with the Greenville Zoo to learn more about the endangered Red Panda to aid in conservation efforts. Red pandas are one-of-a-kind in the animal world. Red pandas are one of a very few carnivorous mammals that have specialized for herbivory, in particular for bamboo. Only the giant panda (which eats the larger tough parts) and four other animals have evolved this way. There has been a 40% decrease in the red panda population reported in China over the last 50 years, and populations in western Himalayan area are in even worse shape. For more info visit  http://www.uga.edu/srel/Red_Pandas/RP_index.htm.

In 2002 and 2003, SREL Outreach educators presented programs on local habitats and hands-on science activities for children to 76 Greenville County residents.

SREL molecular biologists sampled many Greenville County sites to gain a better understanding of North American Spiranthes orchids. Researchers also contributed to the SREL Outreach Program by creating information brochures on various native plant families (trilliums, milkweeds, orchids). For more info visit  http://www.uga.edu/srel/DNA_Lab/staff_projects.htm.

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SREL herpetologists, in conjunction with the United States Forest Service (USFS) and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), began a project to inventory and monitor the amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) inhabiting the Sumter National Forest, with a primary focus on two management indicator species. Northern dusky salamanders are medium sized, stream-dwelling salamanders that generally occur east of the Mississippi from northern Maine and Canada to the panhandle of Florida, but are absent from the Coastal Plain of Georgia and the Carolinas. Eastern kingsnakes are large, smooth, black snakes with white chainlike markings, which occur in much of the southeastern U.S. For more info on this project, go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/projects/sumter.htm.

From 2001 to 2004, SREL Outreach educators and scientists presented programs on reptiles and amphibians, local habitats and hands-on science activities to 620 students at four Greenwood County schools and colleges.

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In 2000 and 2001, SREL Outreach educators and scientists presented programs on reptiles and amphibians, local habitats and white-tailed deer to adults and  students Hampton County churches and organizations.

It is well known that bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotic drugs. Microbial resistance to antibiotics is often accompanied by resistance to pollutants such as heavy metals. Some of the same genetic mechanisms that allow bacteria to become less harmed by drugs also allow them to survive in polluted environments. SREL microbial ecologists learned that exposure to heavy metals in polluted habitats selects for antibiotic resistant bacteria. As resistance to antibiotics develops among bacteria in metal-contaminated environments there may be implications for human health. For more information about this major study funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, go to http://isarco.srel.edu/.

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Sound land management practices are required to maintain biodiversity without reducing the economic benefits of natural resource use. An important concern within the forest products industry that must be addressed for herpetofauna is how various management approaches, including harvesting, site preparation, and planting, affect short- and long-term biodiversity and population status. To address this concern, SREL ecologists studied effects of forest management practices on reptiles and amphibians of the Southeastern Coastal Plain with emphasis on reptile and amphibian species of South Carolina. For more info go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/projects/PEEDEE.HTM.

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The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is considered to be declining throughout its range and is federally listed in the western portion of its range. SREL herpetologists are conducting intensive studies of gopher tortoise populations in several locales, including the Tillman Sand Ridge Heritage Preserve, in order to better understand basic ecology as well as develop more effective techniques for management of tortoises and their habitats. Scientists are particularly interested in tortoise translocation studies--removing animals from lands slated for development and relocating them elsewhere as a short-term conservation solution. For more info, go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/projects/TDT%20-%20SRStortoiserepatriation.pdf.

It is well known that bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotic drugs. Microbial resistance to antibiotics is often accompanied by resistance to pollutants such as heavy metals. Some of the same genetic mechanisms that allow bacteria to become less harmed by drugs also allow them to survive in polluted environments. SREL microbial ecologists learned that exposure to heavy metals in polluted habitats selects for antibiotic resistant bacteria. As resistance to antibiotics develops among bacteria in metal-contaminated environments there may be implications for human health. For more information about this major study funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, go to http://isarco.srel.edu/.

Savannah River Swamp study--Since the 1980s, SREL ecologists have been studying swamp forests, including seed production of bald cypress and water tupelo trees, dispersal and germination, and seedling growth and survival. Scientists are particularly interested in comparing natural swamp forests along undammed rivers to forests along rivers that have been dammed, such as the Savannah River. These bottomland hardwood forests and bald cypress-water tupelo swamps are abundant along the floodplains of major rivers throughout the southeastern US. For more info, go to http://lmer.marsci.uga.edu/savannah.html.  Back to SC/GA

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SREL Outreach educators have presented programs on reptiles and amphibians to 34 students at McCormick Middle School.

The Webster’s salamander, Plethodon websteri, is a SC state endangered salamander species. SREL herpetologists studied the distribution and habitat use by this species in McCormick County, allowing industrial facilities to expand operations in areas where the species was not located. For educational info on this species, go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/SPARC/trip36.htm.

SREL ecotoxicologists measured mercury, a wide-spread pollutant in many wetland ecosystems, in largemouth bass from five reservoirs in South Carolina.  Mercury levels in bass on the SRS were elevated relative to bass from publicly accessible reservoirs. Mercury levels in all bass from the publicly accessible reservoirs were below U.S. Food and Drug Administration action levels, but most fish samples fell into or exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency’s consumption category of “no more than one per week”.          Back to SC/GA

It is well known that bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotic drugs. Microbial resistance to antibiotics is often accompanied by resistance to pollutants such as heavy metals. Some of the same genetic mechanisms that allow bacteria to become less harmed by drugs also allow them to survive in polluted environments. SREL microbial ecologists learned that exposure to heavy metals in polluted habitats selects for antibiotic resistant bacteria. As resistance to antibiotics develops among bacteria in metal-contaminated environments there may be implications for human health. For more information about this major study funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, go to http://isarco.srel.edu/.

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From 2000 to 2007, SREL Outreach educators reached  more than 1194 Orangeburg County students with 21 programs at camps, schools, churches, and colleges. Topics included wetlands, reptiles and amphibians, local biodiversity, hands-on science, and contaminants in the environment.

The flatwoods salamanders, Ambystoma cingulatum, is a federally endangered amphibian species that occurs on the Coastal Plain of SC, GA, AL, and FL. This species, like other pond-breeding salamander species, requires a variety of small aquatic animals called zooplankton as a food resource. SREL aquatic biologists surveyed zooplankton species in isolated wetlands that might be suitable for flatwoods salamanders in seven SC Coastal Plain counties. These studies were also part of broader zooplankton surveys in NC and VA in which new zooplankton species were discovered.     Back to SC/GA

In 2002, SREL Outreach educators presented programs on insects and chemistry to 57 students in Pickens County.

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SREL botanists are examining the effects of natural disturbances such as floods and hurricane winds. The damage by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 to swamp forests in Congaree National Park has provided the opportunity to examine immediate and long-term forest recovery in one of the few remaining old-growth bottomland hardwood forests in the Southeast. In SREL’s long-term studies, scientists are examining tree mortality patterns, regrowth, and the effects of environmental heterogeneity on woody seedling recruitment. This research is partly supported by the U.S. National Park Service. For more info, go to http://www.uga.edu/srel/ESSite/research.htm.

From 2000 to 2007, SREL Outreach educators and scientists presented programs to more than 3500 Richland County students with 45 programs at camps, schools, churches, and colleges. Topics included wetlands, reptiles and amphibians, local biodiversity, hands-on science, and contaminants in the environment. In addition, SREL exhibits at the Palmetto Sportsman's Classic were seen by tens of thousands each year.

National Park surveys--For many of our National Parks in the Southeast and elsewhere, surprisingly little is known about the reptile and amphibian species that occur in the parks. SREL herpetologists conducted surveys for the National Park Service in 16 sites. For more info, go to http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/nps/npshome.htm.

National Parks—chytrid fungus survey: A recently identified chytridiomycete fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) is a suspected cause of amphibian disease and subsequent population declines in many parts of the world, including Australia, Central America, and the western U.S. The purpose of this study by SREL ecologists is to determine whether chytrid fungus is present in amphibians in southeastern national parks, specifically Congaree Swamp NP and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. For more info, go to http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/projects/BRothermelProjectsSENP.htm.

Unexploded ordnance can be a life-threatening problem on military bases. SREL scientists, in collaboration with USC, are studying ways to accelerate degradation of Nitroamine Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine, or Royal Demolition Explosive (RDX) is widely used by the military as an explosive, rocket propellant, and as a key ingredient in C-4, a plastic explosive. When test firing shells during practice maneuvers, incomplete detonation results in widespread areas of varying concentration of RDX. Due to the fact that these ranges must remain open, a remediation option that is low maintenance and still allows use is imperative to find. SREL is working on using plants with variations in pigmentation to enhance photodegradation of RDX, as well as diverse secondary metabolic pathways that may enhance the degradation within the plant tissue. Findings will be important to regional military bases such as Fort Jackson and Shaw Air Force Base. For more info, go to http://www.sph.sc.edu/enhs/newman/research.htm.

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SREL herpetologists are conducting reptile amphibian surveys in Spartanburg County.

SREL Outreach educators and scientists have presented programs and tours to Wofford College classes as well as Pacolet Middle School. In addition, SREL assisted with watershed education efforts along Lawson's Fork Creek. For more info go to http://www.lawsonsfork.org/.

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SREL Outreach educators have presented programs to students in the Rock Hill Area Homeschool Association.

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