vernal pool book
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Wood Frog
Rana sylvatica
small rog, ~2 inches sounds similar to people
laughing
M.Currie / TNC M.Currie / TNC M.Currie / TNC
Spotted Salamander
Ambystoma maculatum
6-8 inches long spends most o its time
underground breeds in early to mid-March
Marbled Salamander
Ambystoma opacum
smallest mole salamander inPennsylvania, 4-5 inches
emales lay eggs in dry poolbeds and guard the eggsuntil they hatch
breeds in September
indicator species o woodland vernal pools
pennsylvania Vernal Pool
Identifcation Guide
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Now you see it, now you don’t
Woodland vernal pools are temporary bodies o water that are typically wet in the winter andspring but dry up by mid-summer. Vernal pools are primarily ound in orested areas and arecharacterized by absence o sh, lack o fowing water, small size, shallow depth, and presence o plants and animals that can withstand a period o drought (Brown and Jung 2005).
Many species o amphibians (rogs, toads, and salamanders), insects, and crustaceans areadapted to breed in vernal pools. This is because vernal pools provide an ideal nursery where
their young can mature. The dry period reduces or eliminates populations o dominant com-petitors and predators such as sh, which cannot survive drought, and bullrogs, which usuallytake more than a year to develop rom tadpole to adult. The presence o these voracious eatingmachines in permanent wetlands is the main reason vernal pool species have adapted to breed intemporary wetlands. Protecting vernal pools and the surrounding 1000 eet o upland habitat iscritical or protection o water quality, amphibian breeding, and terrestrial habitat or adult and
juvenile amphibians (Brown and Jung 2005).
What is a woodland vernal pool?
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Cover phoTo of a Wood frog (Lithobates syLvaticus ) TakeN by M. Currie/ TNC
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Wood Frog
Rana sylvatica
small rog, ~2 inches sounds similar to people
laughing
M.Currie / TNC M.Currie / TNC M.Currie / TNC
Spotted Salamander
Ambystoma maculatum
6-8 inches long spends most o its time
underground breeds in early to mid-March
Marbled Salamander
Ambystoma opacum
smallest mole salamander inPennsylvania, 4-5 inches
emales lay eggs in dry poolbeds and guard the eggsuntil they hatch
breeds in September
indicator species o woodland vernal pools
M.Currie/ TNC
A vegetated woodland vernal pool with Golden Club (Orontium aquaticum), an uncommon wetland plant
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Wetland Oasis
Vernal pool wetlands usually lose all o their surace water over the course o the summer. Mostpools in Pennsylvania slowly rell during the all and winter. They reach their maximum size withthe requent rains and melting snows o early spring, in time or the arrival o masses o breedingrogs and salamanders. To identiy a pool during the wet period, look or the indicator specieslisted on pages 5-6. Indicator species are animals that “rely on seasonal pools as essential habitat
or a portion o their lie-cycle” (Brown and Jung 2005). The best time to look or vernal pool amphib-ians as adults, egg masses, and larvae is between March and May.
A Disappearing Act
A key characteristic o a vernal pool is that it dries in the summer or all. While the dry periodlessens predation pressure, the cycle o lling and drying creates a uniquely harsh and unpredict-able living environment. Vernal pool species use a variety o strategies to survive the summerdrought. Many species have an aquatic immature phase and leave as terrestrial adults beore thepool dries. Mobile species can reely move between temporary and permanent waters. A variety o
insects and crustaceans have drought-resistant eggs that lie dormant in the pool bottom until thewaters return.
To identiy a pool during its dry phase, look or a depression o water-stained, decomposingleaves and debris; trees with buttressed trunks; tree trunks with stains marking high water levels;hydric soils; and wetland plants growing in dry soil (Brown and Jung 2005). Examples o commonvernal pool plants are shown on pages 9-10.
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Wood Frog
Rana sylvatica
small rog, ~2 inches sounds similar to people
laughing
M.Currie / TNC M.Currie / TNC M.Currie / TNC
Spotted Salamander
Ambystoma maculatum
6-8 inches long spends most o its time
underground breeds in early to mid-March
Marbled Salamander
Ambystoma opacum
smallest mole salamander inPennsylvania, 4-5 inches
emales lay eggs in dry poolbeds and guard the eggsuntil they hatch
breeds in September
indicator species o woodland vernal pools
Two vernal pools in their dry (let) and wet (right) phasesJ. derr/ TNC
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Spotted Salamander
Ambystoma maculatum Large and dark with yellow
spots, 6-8 inches long Most common o Pennsylva-
nia’s ve mole salamanders Like all mole salamanders,
spends most o the yearunderground
Breeds in March, oten ormslarge breeding congregations
M.Currie/ TNC M.Currie/ TNC C. eiChelberger/ pNhp
Marbled Salamander
Ambystoma opacum Short, chunky, black and
white, 4-5 inches long Only all-breeding mole sala-
mander (August–September) Females lay their eggs in dry
pool beds and guard themuntil the pools food.
Jeerson Salamander
Ambystoma jeersonianum Slender and dark with blue
fecking on sides, 4-7 incheslong
Conspicuously long toes First mole salamander to
arrive in the spring (February–March), oten crossing snowand ice
Note: The Blue-spotted Sala-mander (Ambystoma laterale) isa similar species that is rarelyencountered in Pennsylvania.It is currently known romonly three counties.
VERNAL POOL INDICATOR ANIMALS
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Wood Frog
Lithobates sylvaticus Small earth-toned rog with
a black mask, ~2 inches long Raucous call sounds similar
to people laughing or ducksquacking.
Breeds February–March;lays sot egg clusters in largecommunal rats
M.Currie/ TNC M. redMer l. keNNey
Eastern Spadeoot
Scaphiopus holbrookii Small primitive species o
rog, 2-3 inches in size Endangered in Pennsylvania Like mole salamanders, a
‘ossorial’ species that spendsmost o the year under-ground
Their hind eet are equippedwith a hard projection theyuse as a digging “spade” toburrow into sandy soils.
Springtime Fairy Shrimp
Eubranchipus vernalis A large vernal pool crusta-
cean, 0.5 to ~2 inches in size Lays tough eggs that can
pass unharmed through thegut o a bird or lie dormantor decades in a dry poolbed
Eggs hatch when the poolsll with water in winter orearly spring.
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Green Frog
(Lithobates clamitans)
M.Currie/ TNC C. eiChelberger/ pNhp J. derr/ TNC
Spring Peeper
(Pseudacris crucifer)
Red-spotted Newt
(Notophthalmus viridescens)
Swamp Darner(Epiaeschna heros)
b. leppo/ pNhp b. Moul r. koval
Meadowhawk(Sympetrum sp.)
Four-toed Salamander(Hemidactylium scutatum)
OTHER COMMON VERNAL POOL ANIMALS
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Where and why vernal pools hold water depends on where the water comes rom, the soils under the pool, and where the poolis ound on the landscape. Water can enter pools rom the surace via run-o rom rain and melting snows or rom fooding o nearby streams, ponds, or lakes. Water can enter the pool rom below when the water table is near the surace and intersects thepool basin.
The soils under perched vernal pools are usually very “tight” and can slow or stop the downward movement o water. Soil tight-ness is usually due to a high clay content or a hardpan layer. Hardpans typically orm in soils where the water table fuctuates nearthe surace, causing dissolved minerals to concentrate in a narrow band that hardens and becomes airly impervious to water. Incontrast, vernal pools on foodplains may have very porous soils with water moving reely below the ground surace. The waterlevel in a foodplain pool may be directly related to the water level in a nearby stream or river.
Where a pool lies on the landscape (e.g. topography and geology) also aects hydrology. In Pennsylvania, vernal pools can oc-cur on high ridgetops. Here, the only source o water is rainall and melting winter snow. In contrast, vernal pools that occur atthe oot o a mountain may be lled with groundwater. A pool located on a slope may actually receive groundwater on the upslopeside and discharge it to the water table on the downslope side.
The hydrology o vernal pools can vary rom year to year depending on the weather patterns, precipitation, stream fow, watertable levels, etc. I you observe the same pond over a number o years, you will see variations in how long it holds water, when itgoes dry, and when it rells.
Finding vernal pools in Pennsylvania
Important actors in vernal pool ormation are precipitation, topography, soil permeability, and bedrock. Vernal pools orm un-der a variety o hydrologic and geologic conditions that vary by region. In Pennsylvania, vernal pools most commonly orm:
in rolling, glaciated terrain with poorly developed drainage networks (northeast and northwest); on ridgetops and plateaus, in ridgetop saddles at the headwaters o small streams, and on the toeslopes o mountains (ridge and
valley, unglaciated plateau);
in poorly drained valley bottoms and lowlands (Piedmont, statewide);
in fooded depressions, back channels, and abandoned oxbows o streams and rivers (statewide).
VERNAL POOL SOILS AND HYDROLOGY
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In addition to wetland hydrology and soils, the presence o wetland vegetation is another impor-tant indicator o a vernal pool. Vernal pools hold water long enough to develop wetland (hydric)soils, and oten support water-loving (hydrophytic) plants, though some pool basins are completelyunvegetated. The ollowing plants are commonly ound in or at the edge o vernal pools.
Common Name Scientifc Name Plant Type
Cinnamon ern Osmunda cinnamomea herbaceous
Manna and meadow grasses Glyceria acutiora, herbaceous G. canadensis, G. melicaria,G. septentrionalis, Torreyochloa pallida
Marsh ern Thelypteris palustris herbaceous
Northeastern bulrush Scirpus ancistrochaetus* herbaceous
Rice cut-grass Leersia oryzoides herbaceous
Royal ern Osmunda regalis herbaceousSedges Carex gynandra, C. crinita, C. canescens, herbaceous
C. vesicaria, C. lupulina
Three-way sedge Dulichium arundinaceum herbaceous
Wool-grass Scirpus cyperinus herbaceous
Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis shrub
Highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum shrub
Winterberry Ilex verticillata shrub
Pin oak Quercus palustris treeRed maple Acer rubrum tree
Sourgum Nyssa sylvatica tree
Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor tree
* A rare plant ound in vernal pools; A Federally endangered species
VERNAL POOL PLANTS
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Blister sedge Carex vesicaria
b. leppo/ pNhp g. gress/TNC b. leppo/ pNhp
ButtonbushCephalanthus occidentalis
Cinnamon ernOsmunda cinnamomea
WinterberryIlex verticillata
b. leppo/ pNhp C. eiChelberger/ pNhp M.Currie/ TNC
Northeastern bulrushScirpus ancistrochaetus
Highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosum
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Ephemeral: Typically dries up every summer and rells in late winter or early spring.
No sh: Seasonal drying maintains a shless environment that is necessary or successulreproduction by indicator species.
No fow: No permanent inlets or outlets o fowing surace water.
Indicator species: Presence o mole salamanders (Jeerson, Marbled, or Spotted), WoodFrogs, Eastern Spadeoot, or Fairy Shrimp.
Wetland plants: Presence o water-loving plants; see page 9 or a list o common species.Note that some vernal pools will not have any wetland vegetation.
Dry phase: Evidence o water-stained leaves in a depression, buttressed and/or water-stainedtree trunks, presence o sphagnum moss and/or other wetland plants growing in dry soil,
and wetland soils.
VERNAL POOL EVIDENCE - SUMMARY CHECKLIST
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C. eiChelberger/ pNhpb. leppo/ pNhp
Buttressed tree Sphagnum moss
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Brown, L. J. and R.E. Jung. 2005. “An introduction to Mid-Atlantic Seasonal Pools,” EPA-903-B-05-001. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment, Ft. Meade,Maryland. epa.gov/bioiweb1/pd/EPA-903-B-05-001AnIntroductiontoMid-AtlanticSeasonalPools.pd
Environmental Laboratory. 1987. “Corps o Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual,” TechnicalReport Y-87-1, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss.
Hulse, A.C., C. J. McCoy and E. J. Censky. 2001. Amphibians and Reptiles o Pennsylvania and theNortheast. Cornell University Press, New York. 419 pp.
U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 2009. Hydric Soils. Available atsoils.usda.gov/use/hydric
Web sites
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Comission Landowner Incentive Program (LIP): fsh.state.pa.us/promo/grants/lip/00lip.htm
Pennsylvania Game Commission Private Landowner Assistance Program (PLAP): pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=513&q=168220
Pennsylvania Seasonal Pool Registry: WaterLandLie.org/54
Pennsylvania Herp Identication: Online Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians o Pennsylvania:
paherps.com/herps
Pennsylvania Herpetological Atlas: paherpatlas.org
The Nature Conservancy’s Vernal Pools Web site: nature.org/pavernalpools
RESOURCES
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The Nature Conservancy: nature.org/pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program: naturalheritage.state.pa.us
Messiah College: messiah.edu
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy: WaterLandLie.org
About us
This project was unded in part by grants received by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy: The Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship Fund, ad-
ministered by the Pennsylvania Department o Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau o Recreation & Conservation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlie Service Landowner Incentive Program (LIP), administered by the
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
messiah.edu
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