48 
C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr. 
periodically a lake population of S. odoratus near one of the S. 
depressus study sites. This paper provides data on the population 
structure and biomass of stinkpots at that site, near the northwestern 
boundary of the Warrior Basin. 
STUDY AREA AND METHODS 
The study was conducted on Brushy Creek Lake in the Bankhead 
National Forest, Winston County, Alabama (T9S R7W S4N, Grayson 
Quadrangle). Brushy Creek Lake was created when Brushy Creek was 
impounded to serve recreational purposes. It has a surface area of 13.76 
ha with a maximum depth of 3.7 m, although 9.36 ha (67.3%) is less 
than 2.4 m. The study area (Fig. 1) comprised 0.9 ha on the north shore 
of the lake, including 6.4% of the total lake surface area and 
approximately 9.7% of the vegetated shallow-water habitat. 
The primary submergent plants in Brushy Creek Lake were 
pondweeds ( Potamogeton sp.) and bladderworts ( Utricularia sp.). Major 
fish species included largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides), bluegill 
(Lepomis macrochirus ), redear sunfish ( L . microlophus ), warmouth (L. 
gulosus), crappie ( Pomoxis sp.), grass pickerel (Esox americanus), and 
carp ( Cyprinus carpio). Other species of turtles seen or trapped were the 
snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentina ), eastern mud turtle ( Kinosternon 
subrubrum), yellow-bellied slider ( Trachemys scripta ), and river cooter 
( Pseudemys concinna). The major benthic components of the lake have 
not been identified (G. Gaines, pers. comm.). 
Trapping was conducted six times between 5 May and 5 September 
1985, at approximately equal time intervals, using 2.54-cm mesh wire 
funnel traps (Iverson 1979); sardines were used as bait. Cans were 
partially opened or punctured and placed in the bottom of the trap. Ten 
traps were set on each sampling date between 1700 and 2000 hours and 
retrieved between 0800 and 1000 hours the next morning. The amount 
of time traps were in the water was recorded to the nearest 0.5 hour. 
Traps were set in shallow water with a heavy fringe of emergent and 
submerged aquatic vegetation that provided abundant cover for stinkpots 
and their prey. 
The carapace length (CL) and plastron length (PL) were recorded 
for each turtle to the nearest 0.1 mm using a dial caliper and standard 
turtle measuring techniques. Mass was recorded to the nearest 0.5 g. 
Turtles were considered adults if they measured greater than 65 mm CL 
(McPherson and Marion 1981). Each turtle was assigned an identification 
number (ID) by notching marginal scutes (Cagle 1939). 
Pearson correlation coefficients were generated for CL versus PL, 
and a linear regression line (y = a + bx) was fitted to the plotted points. 
For body mass, the data were fitted to the general allometric equation y 
