Beaufort County Research Articles

Erpobdella punctata (Hirudinea: Erpobdellidae) as phoronts on Ambystoma maculatum (Amphibia: Ambystomatidae)

Adult spotted salamanders Ambystoma maculatum with leeches Erpobdella punctata attached were observed frequently during a survey of the amphibians from a temporary woodland pond in southern Beaufort County in South Carolina. In the present study, the occurrence of E. punctata was examined in a population of A. maculatum with regards to the salamander's sex and body length. In February 1994, 57 salamanders were collected using minnow traps and examined for leeches. The main attachment site was near the forelimb of the salamander. The percentage of salamanders used as hosts by the leeches was 49·12% (28/57); only male salamnders served as hosts. The mean intensity of occurrence was 1·04 leeches per salamander. No significant difference in occurrence was observed based on host body length; nor were the body lengths of the host correlated with those of the phoronts. This salamander-leech association appears to be a phoretic relationship. Phoresy may provide the leech with mobility within and without the original habitat as well as with food particles which are expelled by the salamander during feeding. This is the first record of E. punctata using a salamander as a phoretic agent.

Relationship of alcohol consumption and recreational boating in Beaufort County, North Carolina.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between alcohol use and recreational boating activities. Two hundred eleven (n = 211) boaters were surveyed at three boating access locations in Beaufort County, North Carolina. The survey questionnaire consisted of fifteen questions designed to obtain information on boat operators and their use of alcoholic beverages while engaging in boating activities. Prevalence and amount of alcohol use while boating were significantly associated (p < .05) with the type of activity engaged in. Among those boaters who had received some type of boating safety education, a higher prevalence of alcohol use while boating was observed. The prevalence and amount of alcohol use while boating were found to be significantly (p < .05) associated with the location (public versus private) of boating access. In light of the findings, it is apparent that boating alcohol education and legislation for the North Carolina boating population need assessment and revision. The implications of the findings could have far-reaching effects upon education and prevention among the recreational boating population, particularly if further research in this area supports these finding.

Paleoseismic indicators near Bluffton, South Carolina: An appraisal of their tectonic implications

Radiocarbon dating of paleoliquefaction features near Bluffton in Beaufort County, South Carolina, indicates a likelihood of four prehistoric seismic events that occurred at 500 ±180, 1180 ±220, 2355 ±365, and 3355 ±485 yr B.P. Among these, the 500 ±180 and 2355 ±365 yr B.P. events appear to have originated near Bluffton, outside of the currently active Charleston seismic source zone. Association of these two events with a local source near Bluffton conflicts with the idea of periodic activation of a single seismic source near Charleston. The felt shocks of 1826, 1903, and 1912, reported from ∼20 km south of the paleoliquefaction sites, and a small earthquake on January 1989 located near Bluffton indicate that this area has been moderately active in historic times. Releveling data have identified an ∼30-km-long zone of uplift in the area. Stratigraphic data indicate the presence of an east-trending buried fault in the vicinity. These observations imply the presence of an additional seismic source zone in the South Carolina coastal plain, near Bluffton.

County-level Tourism Impact Assessment: A Case Study in Beaufort County, South Carolina

South Carolina's coastal counties are experiencing tremendous changes in population and economic development as a result of growth in the tourist, recreation, and resort sectors. However, little is known about the overall impact of the tourism industry in detail at the county level. This study presents the results of the application of an economic impact model designed to provide insight into the benefits of various mixes of tourism products at a local level with special reference to Beaufort County, South Carolina.

Polychlorinated biphenyls in blue crabs from South Carolina.

Blue crabs are important members of the estuarine food web due to their numbers and their multiple roles as scavengers, predators and prey. Because of their omnivorous feeding characteristics, wide distribution an close association with bottom sediments, the potential exists for blue crabs to bioaccumulate pollutants residing in those sediments as has been shown for fiddler crabs. It follows that human health risk upon consumption of such crabs and biomagnification through the food web become primary concerns. During the spring of 1985, commercial crab fishermen in Beaufort County, South Carolina contacted the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department (SCWMRD) concerning their perceptions of significantly declining catch rates in the Campbell Creek-Whale Branch area. Using knowledge of previously documented elevated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) levels in the sediments of the upper portion of Campbell Creek, the SCWMRD initiated analysis of crab tissue from the area to ascertain the body burdens of PCBs. Initial screening results indicated potentially significant levels of PCBs in blue crabs at which time, SCWMRD contacted the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) for more intensive study and definition of the situation. The work reported here was conducted between June and October 1985.

Diagnostic Hydrologya

ABSTRACTThis paper examines two eases of surface‐water/ ground‐water interrelationships, one in Beaufort County, North Carolina and one in Ramona, California. In each case the author has to make a differential diagnosis between alternate solutions rendered by hydrologic methods.In the first ease, the author proves that the pumping and subsequent wastage to the ocean of 65 mgd in order to operate the Texas Gulf Sulphur phosphate mine, in all likelihood poses no threat to the environment.In the second case, the author has attempted to obtain, by means of the theory of ground‐water flow, an estimate of the physiographic volume of the Santa Maria creek ground‐water basin in Ramona. He has submitted the outcome of his calculations to the test of compatibility with the results of an actual pumping test, and with pumping records made available by the Ramona Municipal Water District. The outcome shows a water storage capacity of the order of 4,600 AF for the entire basin.In order to correlate recharge of the basin directly with the precipitation on the basin, a hydrograph analysis has been done for the 20 largest runoff‐producing months of the streamflow records 1965–1982. From this study it follows that the average (annual) recharge to the basin is of the order of 1,340 AF/yr and that the physiographic volume, as derived previously, is amply adequate to absorb this recharge.

Higher-than-present Holocene sea-level events recorded in wave-cut terraces and scarps: Old Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina

Wave-cut terraces and scarps record at least two higher-than-present Holocene sea-level events in coastal South Carolina. The higher event reached 110 cm and the lower 80 cm above local, mean spring high water (MSHW). These events occurred subsequent to the formation of the Holocene Old Island barrier island and prior to Wilmington aboriginal occupation 1600 years ago. Shell middens are located on the terrace surfaces. These wave-cut features were formed in a marsh-filled lagoon sheltered from the open ocean by seaward barrier islands. These terraces and scarps are evidence supporting the higher-than-present sea-level events predicted for this region by the Clark et al. (1978) geophysical model of Holocene sea-level recovery. In addition, they support a Fairbridge (1961)-type Holocene sea-level curve, one characterized by oscillations above and below present position. Holocene sea-level fluctuations probably were a prime factor in the episodic progradation of this area, given that in this vicinity the nearshore region is the primary sand source.

Black Cutworm Control on Tobacco, 1979

Abstract An on-farm test was conducted in Beaufort County, North Carolina, to assess the effectiveness of insecticides against an infestation of the black cutworm. When the site was located, cutworm damage was already extensive. Larvae were cutting off individual leaves or the top portion of the rather woody plants. Treatments were replicated 3 times in a randomized complete block design. Plots were 0.029 acres (89 ft × 4 rows) separated by vacant fifth rows and eleven-foot alleys. Treatments were applied between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. Sprayable treatments were applied using a backpack sprayer equipped with three Teejet TG 3 nozzles. Seventy gallons per acre of mixture were applied at 60 psi. Baits were applied by hand in a band approximately 12 inches wide over the top of the row. Prior to treatment, stand counts were made and all severed plant parts removed. One night (14 hours) after treatment, a second stand count was made, the number of newly injured plants recorded (determined by the presence of severed leaves or plants) and all severed plant parts again removed. Four days after treatment, the number of plants newly injured during the period 14-84 hours after treatment was determined. Numbers of damaged plants for each post-treatment period were converted to a percentage of the stand count at the beginning of the period and subjected to an arcsine transformation. Each treatment was compared to the check and all other treatments using a two-way analysis of variance.

The Uses of Social Science in Trials with Political and Racial Overtones: The Trial of Joan Little

One unintended by-product of the zealous prosecution of political and racial militants in the recent past has been the increased participation by social scientists in the judicial arena. The presence of social psychologists and sociologists was obvious in the more publicized cases, e.g., the Harrisburg Eight,1 the Camden 28,2 and the Gainesville Eight.3 Applied social scientists have also worked in trials involving persons from the right wing of the political spectrum, e.g., Mitchell-Stans,4 and in an increasing number of lesser known criminal cases. Now, at least two organized groups of social scientists, the National Jury Project and the Raleigh-based Psychology and Law Center, are permanently established for consultation in both criminal and civil litigation. In this article we will draw upon our experiences in another of the better known trials, that of Ms. Joan Little, to illustrate some of the contributions of social scientists to the judicial process and to discuss some of the issues raised by the application of social science to the law. The Joan Little case began in Washington, North Carolina. Early on the morning of August 27, 1974, Clarence Alligood, the night jailer for the Beaufort County jail, was found dead in a locked cell in the women's section of the jail. Alligood, a sixty-four-year-old white male, had ice pick punctures

Site Factors and the Net Primary Productivity of Young Loblolly Pine and Slash Pine Plantations

AbstractThe relationship between site factors and net primary productivity of young plantations of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) in Beaufort County, North Carolina were investigated. Exchange acidity, cation exchange capacity, pH, Mg, and K of these Ultisol and Alfisol soils of the fine‐loamy, mixed, thermic family were found to be correlated (P = 0.05) with the net primary productivity of loblolly pine. The net primary productivity of slash pine was correlated with cation exchange capacity (P = 0.05).

Household attitudes toward environmental quality in a coastal South Carolina County

Abstract This paper presents an analysis of the findings of a survey of a sample of Beaufort county, South Carolina, households which was conducted to ascertain preferences for environmental quality. These preferences were approximated from survey responses on willingness to pay for environmental amenities and the size of payments households would require to forfeit them. A scale was developed and used to rank these responses ordinally, and the matrices of scaled responses for each of eight household annual‐income classes were subjected to factor analyses.

Dry Matter Production in Young Loblolly (Pinus Taeda L.) and Slash Pine (Pinus Elliottii Engelm.) Plantations

The net primary productivity of the pine species and lesser vegetation (herbaceous ground cover) plus turnover rates between the litter layer and soil organic matter were investigated in young loblolly and slash pine plantations in Beaufort County, North Carolina. Estimations of the aboveground tree biomass and production by components were made by applying multiple regression, weight—prediction equations developed from harvest data (15 slash pine and 41 loblolly pine trees) to tree dimensions from 28 permanent, undisturbed plots. Optimal plot size was determined by time—cost analysis. Total biomass for slash pine ranged from 5.2 mt/ha and 9.9 kg/tree (age 4) to 31.7 mt/ha and 29.8 kg/tree (age 8), and loblolly pine ranged from 4.2 mt/ha and 4.7 kg/tree (age 4) to 107.6 mt/ha and 82.7/tree (age 12). Net production for slash pine was greater than loblolly pine and ranged from 3.9 mt/ha per year and 8.0 kg/tree per year (age 4) to 12.3 mt/ha per year and 11.6 kg/tree per year (age 8). Loblolly pine produced from 4.3 mt/ha per year and 4.8 kg/tree per year (age 4) to 4.1 mt/ha per year and 4.3 mt/ha per year (age 8). Net primary production of loblolly pine was 22.3 mt/ha per year and 18.8 kg/tree per year at age 10 and 11 and dropped to 18.4 mt/ha per year and 13.6 kg/tree per year at age 12. The decrease in production rate of loblolly pine at age 12 was correlated with a decrease in branch needle biomass as canopy closure progressed. Five root systems were excavated, and percentage of aboveground tree biomass was used to calculate root biomass and production. Canopy closure also caused a decrease in net primary production of the lesser vegetation from 1.8 mt/ha per year in the open stands to 0.2 mt/ha per year under closed stands. Simultaneously, the ground—litter component increased from 3.7 to 5.8 mt/ha through litter fall, and the turnover rate to the soil decreased. Soil organic matter accounted for 88% (102.0 mt/ha) to 52% (124.0 mt/ha) of total plot biomass in the youngest and oldest stands, respectively. Caloric analysis was done on all plant material and ground litter. The results are presented as net primary production and turnover rates (109 cal/ha per year).

The Recent Discovery of Psilotum nudum in South Carolina

Psilotum nudum (L.) Palisot, a widespread member of the Psilophyta in tropical regions, has a limited distribution in parts of southeastern United States. Bold (1967, p. 268) lists it from Florida, Louisiana and Texas. According to Small (1938, p. 398), Psilotum, commonly called Whisk-fern, is not uncommon in parts of Florida and occurs north into South Carolina. Matthews (1941) states that Psilotum is apparently very rare in South Carolina, having been reported only from the following localities: Santee Canal, Berkeley County, Ravenel about 1847; Old neglected garden in South Carolina, M. A. Curtis in 1859; Bluffton, Beaufort County, Mellichamp in 1882, 1887, 1894. In 1954, Matthews found Psilotum on the Coker College Campus in Hartsville, Darlington County, South Carolina. On December 30, 1971, on the grounds of a residence in Kingstree, Williamsburg County, South Carolina, I noticed a small plant growing under a Camellia japonica. After close observation, there was no doubt that the leafless specimen, which was about four inches long, was Psilotum. The unique features were dichotomous branching, small scale-like appendages (enations) on the aerial shoots, and the absence of roots. No sporangia were present. There were several much smaller shoots connected to the larger plant by a common rhizomatous system. The larger specimen of Psilotum was taken with soil to the plant room in the biology department of Francis Marion College. It has continued to develop in a container with a two-foot palm under timed (twelve hours daily) fluorescent lighting. Several shoots have emerged from underground near the base of the aerial stem.

Some Aspects of Nutritional Vitamin A Levels in Preschool Children of Beaufort County, South Carolina

Some Aspects of Nutritional Vitamin A Levels in Preschool Children of Beaufort County, South Carolina

Effects of Large‐Scale Mining Withdrawals of Ground Watera

AbstractExpanding water requirements during recent years have intensified development of the productive sedimentary aquifers of the North Carolina Coastal Plain. The effects of this development emphasize the local and regional limitations of the aquifer system and the need for an effective management program.Withdrawal of about 60 million gallons per day from the Castle Hayne limestone, the most productive unit of the principal artesian aquifer of the area, began in July 1965 at a phosphate mine adjacent to the Pamlico River in Beaufort County. Within a few months, the artesian head was lowered below sea level in an area of about 800 square miles, and to more than 100 feet below sea level in the immediate vicinity of pumping. Under these conditions the aquifer became vulnerable to encroachment of saline water from (1) areas of natural occurrence of brackish water in the limestone member of the aquifer; (2) leakage of brackish surface water through the confining beds; and (3) vertical movement of brackish water from the underlying sand member of the aquifer.The dramatic and “overnight” effects of the large withdrawals at the mine site and the threat of damage to the aquifer created sufficient public concern so that legislation was passed by the 1967 General Assembly, giving the Board of Water and Air Resources authority to regulate ground‐water withdrawals as needed to protect the aquifers of the State. An adequate management program can be accomplished that will not only protect the aquifer but will improve the development potential. The development of such a management program requires a thorough knowledge of the hydrology of the aquifer system, the objective of studies in progress. The implementation of the program will require the support of an informed public.

Mineralogic Nature and Origin of Phosphorite, Beaufort County, North Carolina

A large Miocene phosphorite deposit on the Atlantic Coastal Plain in Beaufort County, North Carolina, contains estimated reserves of 10 billion tons. The phosphorite zone, where examined, is 60 feet thick, and the P 2 O 5 content of the untreated ore is about 18 per cent. The sediment consists of phosphate pellets, sand-sized quartz grains, and clay, with thin beds of indurated coquina and phosphatic dolomite. The phosphate pellets contain quartz grains, glauconite, carbonaceous matter, and organic remains. Although most of the pellets are structureless, some show concentric layering around a nucleus. Chemical, X-ray-diffraction, infrared-spectral, and other data demonstrate that the phosphorite mineral is francolite, and that CO 2 is an integral part of the apatite structure. The clay fraction of the phosphorite includes montmorillonite, illite and clinoptilolite. The clay minerals and zeolite probably originated through alteration of volcanic detritus from an undetermined source. Studies indicate origin of the phosphorite to have been in a shallow marine basin characterized by a reducing environment, phosphate replacement of calcareous sediments, local reworking and alteration of certain of the pellets, and coincidence of phosphorite deposition with pyroclastic activity.

Gastrointestinal Helminths from Turkeys in Southeastern United States

Viscera from 390 wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) from 31 collection areas in 10 southeastern states, from 76 pen-raised wild turkeys from Beaufort County, South Carolina, and from 68 domestic turkeys from 7 farm areas located in the states of Florida, Virginia, and West Virginia were examined for helminths. Species of helminths and infection percentages of wild turkeys (=W), penraised wild turkeys (=P), and domestic turkeys (=D) follow: TREMATODA-Brachylaema virginiana 4.4 percent (W); Cotylurus flabelliformis 4.4 percent (W); Echinoparyphium recurvatum 7.2 percent (W); Zygocotyle lunata 1.8 percent (W). CESTODA-Davainea meleagridis 11 percent (W); Hymenolepis cantaniana 4.1 percent (W), 1.5 (D); Hymenolepis carioca 10.5 percent (W), 7.9 (P), 1.5 (D); Metroliasthes lucida 43.1 percent (W); Raillietina georgiensis 6.2 percent (W), 18.4 (P); Raillietina ransomi 12.6 percent (W), 6.6 (P), 2.9 (D); Raillietina williamsi 39.0 percent (W), 27.6 (P); Hymenolepid 2.6 percent (W). NEMATODA--Ascaridia dissimilis 66.2 percent (W), 71.1 (P), 35.3 (D); Ascaridia galli 1.5 percent (W), 3.9 (P), 17.6 (D); Capillaria bursata 1.3 percent (W), 3.9 (P); Capillaria obsignata 9.7 percent (W), 73.7 (P), 14.7 (D); Heterakis gallinae 62.3 percent (W), 53.9 (P), 36.8 (D); Strongyloides avium 0.3 percent (W); Strongyloides sp. 0.5 percent (W); Trichostrongylus tenuis 5.1 percent (W), 6.6 (P). The following nematodes were reported present in one or more birds: Capillaria annulata (W); Dispharynx nasuta (W) and (P); Gongylonema ingluvicola (W) and (P); Seurocyrnea colini (W) and (P); Seurocyrnea sp. (W) and (P). The two flukes (Brachylaema virginiana and Cotylurus flabelliformis) collected from wild turkeys constituted new host records. Numerous new state records of turkey helminths were established. The high percentage of Capillaria obsignata in pen-raised birds indicates the danger of introducing these birds to new locations. The high infectivity rates of all groups with Heterakis gallinae should not be overlooked because the ova of the cecal worm transmit the etiological agent (Histomonas meleagridis) of blackhead. Information on the geographic distribution and incidence of gastrointestinal helminth infections of wild and pen-raised wild turkeys is limited. In an effort to correct this deficiency, a survey of parasitism in turkeys was conducted, and the findings were compared with a similar study on domestic turkeys. Gardiner and Wehr (1949), Mosby and Handley (1943), and Self and Bouchard (1950) have published limited reports on the incidence of helminth infections among wild turkeys. The interrelationships of parasitism among wild, pen-reared wild, and domestic birds have not been established: for instance, Reid and Nugara (1961) found substantial evidence that a new cestode species (the tapeworm Raillietina georgiensis) had been introduced into a flock of domestic turkeys by penraised wild birds from Fitzgerald, Georgia. This study was partially financed by a National Science Foundation Grant (No. G-12999), by the Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners, and by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Region 4). The present report has been condensed from a thesis submitted by the senior author in partial fulfillment of the M.S. degree. For procuring viscera of wild and penraised wild turkeys, specific appreciation is expressed to biologists of the game and fish agencies of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, 1 Journal series paper No. 262, College Experiment Station, University of Georgia, Athens. 2 Present address: Director, Poultry Diagnostic Laboratory, Charles Pfizer & Company, Inc., Cullman, Alabama.

Fluted Points on the South Carolina Coast

AbstractFour points of Eastern Clovis type, found in Beaufort and Jasper counties at sites which also produce points of the Savannah River Archaic, are the first occurrence of fluted points on the southern Atlantic coast. The flint source was apparently the extensive quarries along Briar and Buckhead creeks located chiefly in Screven and Burke counties, Georgia. Other finds of fluted points along these streams indicate a paleo-Indian occupation within the drainage, but no sites are yet known.

The relation of phosphorites to ground water in Beaufort County, North Carolina

Recent ground-water studies undertaken by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the North Carolina Division of Mineral Resources have delineated phosphorite deposits, tentatively regarded as being of middle Miocene age, in Beaufort County. These deposits lie unconformably on limestone of Eocene age and are unconformably overlain by late Miocene marl. The phosphorites, buried beneath strata ranging in thickness from 45 to 250 feet, underlie an area approximating 450 square miles. The total thickness of the phosphorite column throughout the area ranges from several feet to nearly 90 feet.The phosphorite column consists of phosphatic sands and intercalated shell limestones. The sands, composed of pellets of brown sand-size cellophane (probably carbonate-fluorapatite) and sand-size, flat-sided angular quartz with some silt, clay, and organic material, have a median diameter between 0.50 and 0.25 mm. Chemical analyses of representative samples of the raw sand show a variation in P 2 O 5 content from 8 to 31 percent. The P 2 O 5 content is apparently proportionate to the cellophane content throughout the area.Reconstruction of the geologic history suggests that the phosphorites were deposited as chemical precipitates and as in situ replacements in a restricted marine basin where the pH of the water acted as the primary depositional control.Reconstruction of the hydrologic history of the phosphorites indicates that the deposits were preserved under artesian conditions; they were never subjected to alteration under water-table conditions. The absence of postdepositional alteration makes this area a potentially classic one for studies of phosphorite genesis.Chemical analyses of artesian waters from the phosphorites and from limestones overlain by phosphorites reveal significantly greater concentrations of iodide and bromide in solution than are present in water from overlying sediments or from underlying limestones not overlain by phosphorites. Such anomalies, if present in other similar terranes, may indicate the presence of buried phosphorites.The depth and size distribution of the material suggest a recovery method utilizing wells constructed to pump sand.