ohio vernal pools 2-09
TRANSCRIPT
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State of Ohio’s Vernal Pools
Mick MicacchionOhio EPAWetland Ecology Group
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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
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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
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Amphibian Monitoring Sites
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Spring peeper, Pseudacris crucifer
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Western chorus frog, Pseudacris triseriata
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Northern leopard frog, Rana pipiens
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Gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor
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Wood frog, Rana sylvatica
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Smallmouth salamander,Ambystoma texanum
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Spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum
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Tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum
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Marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum
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Jefferson salamander, Ambystoma jeffersonianum
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Ambystomatid hybrid
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Four-toed salamander and eggs
Photo by Mike Graziano
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Eastern red-spotted newtNotophthalmus viridescens
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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
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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
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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
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Urban Vernal Pool
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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)
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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
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Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
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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
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Limitations on Amphibian Communities with Urban Vernal Pools
• Intensive surrounding land uses
• Lack of buffers
• Isolation from other patches of habitat
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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
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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
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Thank You!!!