ohio vernal pools 2-09
TRANSCRIPT
State of Ohio’s Vernal Pools
Mick MicacchionOhio EPAWetland Ecology Group
Vernal Pools
• Forested and shrub depressions in a forested landscape
• Isolated hydrology –primarily surface and ground water
• Seasonal hydrology –ephemeral – at least late winter (Feb/March) to early summer (June/July)
• Free of predatory fish• Provide important
amphibian breeding habitat
Amphibian Habitat Needs
• Seasonal hydrology - March-June• Fish-free – bass, sunfish, pike, bullheads• Leaf litter/ woody debris• Microtopographic features• Woodlands – especially important within
200m radius• Other breeding pools nearby
Amphibian Monitoring Sites
Spring peeper, Pseudacris crucifer
Western chorus frog, Pseudacris triseriata
Northern leopard frog, Rana pipiens
Gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor
Wood frog, Rana sylvatica
Smallmouth salamander,Ambystoma texanum
Spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum
Tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum
Marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum
Jefferson salamander, Ambystoma jeffersonianum
Ambystomatid hybrid
Four-toed salamander and eggs
Photo by Mike Graziano
Eastern red-spotted newtNotophthalmus viridescens
Amphibian Species SensitivitySalamanders:
Smallmouth 4Streamside 5Unisexual hybrids 5Jefferson 6Eastern newt 6Spotted 8Marbled 8Tiger 9Four-toed 10Blue-spotted 10
Frogs and Toads:Green frog 1American bullfrog 2American toad 2Northern spring peeper 3Fowler’s toad 4Western chorus frog 4Northern leopard frog 4Cope’s & Gray treefrogs 4Mountain chorus frog 5Northern cricket frog 7Wood frog 7Pickerel frog 7Eastern spadefoot 10
Amphibian Index of Biotic Integrity Metrics
• Amphibian Quality Assessment Index (AQAI)
• Number of species of pond breeding salamanders
• Relative abundance of sensitive species
• Relative abundance of tolerant species
• Presence of spotted salamanders or wood frogs
• 10pts.each (0, 3, 7, 10), 50 pts. total
Urban Vernal Pools – Central Ohio• Randomly selected 200 urban wetlands – NWI and OWI
(out of 649)– Tree or shrub dominated– Isolated depressions - SW and GW fed– Inundation thru amphibian breeding season– No predatory fish
• Monitored 14 wetlands (vernal pools) for amphibians 14/200 = only 7% of central Ohio wetlands provided amphibian community breeding habitat– 3 – Poor quality – 3/200 = 1.5%– 9 – Fair quality – 9/200 = 4.5%– 2 – Good quality – 2/200 = 1%– 0 – Excellent quality
Urban Vernal Pool
Mitigation Bank Study
Monitored 33 subareas at 12 wetland mitigation banks
Total = 999.2 acres (404.4 hectares)
Amphibian data collected with deployment of 1040 funnel traps (24,960 trap hours)
Species Composition of Wetland Mitigation Banks
• Abundant– Green frog. Rana clamitans
38%– Toads, Bufo sp. 22%– Leopard frog, R. pipiens
19%– Bullfrog, R. catesbeiana
12%– Spring peeper, Pseudacris
crucifer 5%
• Absent or extremely rare– All Ambystomatid
salamander species <1%– Red-spotted newt,
Notophthalmus viridescens– Spotted salamander,
Ambystoma maculatum– Wood frog, R. sylvatica
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
Limitations of Wetland Mitigation Projects to Amphibian Usage
• Landscape placement - narrow or no buffers and intensive surrounding land uses
• Presence of predatory fish – stream hydrology• Permanent vs. seasonal hydrology• Steep slopes and lack of vegetation – vegetation present
is emergent class• Large sizes minimizing edge habitats
Limitations on Amphibian Communities with Urban Vernal Pools
• Intensive surrounding land uses
• Lack of buffers
• Isolation from other patches of habitat
Urban Vernal Pools–Why they are development targets
• Often are present as wetlands in landscapes that are otherwise dominated by uplands
• Generally small• Often are dry much of the year and may not
be recognized as wetlands at those times• Surrounding development has lowered their
quality
State of Vernal Pool Habitat in Ohio
• A habitat that is disappearing at alarming rates
• Many species that rely on this habitat are becoming rare
• Those habitats that are remaining need to be protected
• Development of additional habitat is critically needed to help reverse the trend
Thank You!!!