|
 Vernal pools are unique, specialized habitats that are frequently overlooked because of their size and appearance. Vernal pools, or ephemeral wetlands are landform depressions that temporarily fill with water following heavy rainfalls, the snowmelt in the spring, or as a result of a high water table. Vernal pools vary in their size, shape, depth, timing and duration of flooding, and the types of species that are able to use them. A defining feature of vernal pools is that they usually dry up by the middle of the summer; however, some vernal pools may only dry up every couple of years. Some animals have adapted and thrive because of the wet-dry cycles of the vernal pool. The ephemeral nature of these wetlands ensures that fish cannot exist these pools. The lack of fish in these pools is essential to the vitality of frogs, salamanders, and invertebrates that would  otherwise be preyed upon by the fish. Many of the species found in vernal pools are dependant on the water of vernal pools for reproduction and other stages of their life cycle. To properly understand and conserve vernal pools we must examine their features, functions, and threats.
|
