8 
Charles K. Biernbaum 
Waterfowl, though reduced in numbers, are abundant during other 
times of the year as well. In addition to their trophic importance to 
these birds, aquatic crustaceans are also important in food chains 
leading to other animals, including the American alligator ( Alligator 
mississippiensis ), an endangered species that is abundant within the 
refuge boundaries. 
Previous studies on freshwater and terrestrial crustaceans of South 
Carolina are meager. There are many references to crayfish occurrences 
in the state, one dating back more than 200 years (e.g., Bartram 1771; 
Hobbs 1940, 1947, 1956a, b,c, 1958a, b, 1983; Hobbs and Carlson 1983; 
Prins and Hobbs 1972; Hobbs III et al. 1976). Other taxa, however, 
have not been as readily seen or surveyed. Important studies include a 
survey of the Savannah River fauna (Patrick et al. 1966); several reports 
of research involving a few crustacean species at the Savannah River 
Plant, an approximately 80,000-ha federal production reactor and field 
laboratory complex on the southwestern border of the state (e.g., 
Vigerstad and Tilly 1977; Thorp and Ammerman 1978; Cherry et al. 
1979a, b; Giesy et al. 1980; Brown 1981; Dickson and Giesy 1981; Thorp 
and Bergey 1981); some records of ostracod and copepod occurrences 
(Hoff 1944; Ferguson 1952, 1954; Crawford 1957; Roache 1959); a 
recent survey of zooplankton of an acidic (pH 4. 3-4. 5) cooling pond 
(Mallin 1984); and documentation of the occurrence of two exotic 
terrestrial amphipod species in the state (Biernbaum 1980). Except for 
some early studies by a few biologists, some of which resulted in the 
description of new species (Say 1818; Ellis 1940, 1941), very little work 
has been done on nonmarine amphipods or isopods in the state. Fox 
(1978) and Kelley (1978) summarized distributional information that is 
known for these two groups in the coastal zone of South Carolina. No 
information about the fauna or flora of the Santee National Wildlife 
Refuge appears in the scientific literature. However, the United States 
Department of the Interior has prepared pamphlets ( 1983:RF-42570-2, 
42570-5, 42570-7; 1985:RF-42570-3) listing the species of fishes (based 
on studies by P. Coleman), amphibians and reptiles (based on studies by 
J. R. H arrison. III), and birds and mammals (based on many surveys) 
occurring on refuge property. 
STUDY AREA 
Established in 1941, the Santee National Wildlife Refuge comprises 
about 6100 ha in the mid-coastal plain of South Carolina (Fig. 1). The 
four noncontiguous units of the refuge (Bluff, Dingle Pond, Pine Island, 
and Cuddo) border Lake Marion, a reservoir created by the construction 
of a hydroelectric dam on the Santee River. These units consist of 
mixed pine-hardwood forests, croplands, marshes, ponds, and 
impoundments. 
