Project Wild Teacher Resource Guide: Introduction to Georgia’s Natural History Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division Timothy S. Keyes TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Prehistoric Georgia ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Physiographic Regions ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 MOUNTAINS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 CUMBERLAND PLATEAU -------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Caves --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Key Plants and Animals ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 RIDGE AND VALLEY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Etowah River ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8 Key Plants and Animals ----------------------------------------------------------------------- -8 BLUE RIDGE --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Cove Forests ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Key Plants and Animals ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 PIEDMONT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Flint River --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Rock Outcrops ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 COASTAL PLAIN --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Longleaf Pine-Wiregrass Community ------------------------------------------------------- 16 Key Plants and Animals ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Carolina Bays ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 Key Plants and Animals ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 BARRIER ISLANDS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 22 Beaches ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 23 Dunes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------23 Maritime Forest --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 Salt Marshes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 Reefs ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------26 Key Animals ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 26 REFERENCES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 APPENDICES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Georgia Exotic Species ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 30 Georgia State Symbols ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Citizen Science Projects ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Curriculum Aids -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 Schoolyard Habitat Aid ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 31 Special Thanks ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 Georgia’s Physiographic regions Map -------------------------------------------------------- 32 Colonial coastal birding trail Map ------------------------------------------------------------- 33 Georgia River Basin Map ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 34 Georgia’s Protected Animals ------------------------------------------------------------------- 35 Species Accounts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 Raptors -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 Ruffed Grouse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 37 Wood Duck---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Bird Box Instructions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39 Black Bear ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43 Coyote --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44 Alligator ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45 Snakes---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 46 Brown Thrasher ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Spadefoot Toad ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 Stream Insects and Crustaceans ---------------------------------------------------------------- 51 1 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this guide is to nation), of which 63 are found only in supplement the Project Wild (PW) Georgia (endemic species). Georgia ranks curriculum with natural history information among the highest of all states for specific to Georgia. One of the strengths of amphibian, freshwater fishes, and crayfish the PW curriculum is the breadth of its diversity, and is in the top 10 for reptile and scope, dealing with issues from around the vascular plant diversity (3,600 native plant United States. This general approach can species). also be a frustration however, if one is trying Many excellent field guides are available to tailor the PW curriculum to local habitats that provide detailed information on the and species that students may encounter in identification and life history of our plants Georgia. and animals. This guide seeks to introduce This guide seeks to provide a basic you to some of the important plants and introduction to key habitats and wildlife for animals, not to replace existing guides. each physiographic region within Georgia, and provide references for further study and CHANGING HABITATS field trip sites. Throughout, we have Walking through a cove forest in the suggested links to local topics and PW mountains, floating down the Altamaha activities that could be adjusted to add local River by canoe, or wandering the Spanish- information and flavor. We have accepted moss draped hammock forests on Sapelo the prevailing scientific view of geologic Island, one may get a sense of permanence time, though we are aware that other and stability. This sense is largely an opinions exist regarding the dates of illusion however, as every habitat geologic events. We hope that those who experiences subtle and sometimes more disagree will still find this guide helpful. obvious changes through time. These We hope this guide helps to generate a change result from internal and external greater knowledge and appreciation of processes. Georgia’s diverse and increasingly Internal processes such as plant growth, threatened habitats. It is only a deep death, and replacement (called natural concern and commitment to these wild succession), are constantly at work, subtly places that will ensure their existence for changing every habitat, whether a rock future generations to enjoy. outcrop or a mature forest. Habitats often progress towards a theoretical “climax” GEORGIA OVERVIEW stage, where the species composition Georgia is the largest state east of the remains relatively stable over long periods Mississippi River, with a land area of 37 of time. If you walk into a forest and the million acres, and is home to over 8 million under-story saplings are the same species as people (2000 census). This number is the dominant canopy trees, you are expected to increase by 37% over the next witnessing a forest in its climax stage. 25 years. The state of Georgia is also home External disturbances such as hurricanes, to a remarkably diverse collection of plants droughts, lightning strikes and fires can and animals. The term “biodiversity”, may interfere with plant succession, setting back inspire images of Australian Coral Reefs and the successional clock. In some habitats, Brazilian Rain Forests, but for certain taxa, external disturbances occur with sufficient the southeastern United States ranks high in frequency that the climax stage is never the world, and certainly within the United reached. For example, the Long-leaf pine States for sheer number of species. Georgia forests of the coastal plain are fire- is home to 975 vertebrates (ranks 2nd in the 2 maintained ecosystems, which are rapidly debated today. However, the arrival of replaced by hardwoods if fire is suppressed. Paleo-Indian hunters, approximately 12,000 On a much broader time scale, Georgia’s years ago, probably played a major role in habitats are also changing due to their extinction. hemispheric and global climate changes. The most obvious example is the oscillating climate associated with the Ice Ages over Mastadon the last 2 million years. PREHISTORIC GEORGIA Georgia’s landscape at the peak of the last major Ice Age (20,000 years ago) would be unrecognizable to a