A survey of vernal pools and the effects of climate change on artificially constructed vernal pool replicates.

Abstract

Vernal pools are important temporary wetlands that support a wide variety of macroinvertebrates and provide safe breeding grounds for amphibians. These pools are precipitation-filled and thus, their hydrology is dependent on precipitation and evaporation; this makes them particularly sensitive to climate. We surveyed three relatively unstudied vernal pools in order to analyze their importance in maintaining high woodland biodiversity and lay baseline data to aid future research. We sampled the chemical and biotic features of the pools. In addition, we studied effects of climate change on vernal pools; this issue is of particular importance given the sensitivity of vernal pools to climate. In order to do this, climate change was simulated on a series of artificially created pools in a mesocosm experiment that assessed algae biomass. We found that climate change did not significantly affect algae biomass. In addition, we analyzed the validity of our mesocosm by comparing the nutrient levels and algae production in our artificial pools to the natural pools we surveyed. Phosphorous levels were found to be significantly higher in the artificial pools and algae biomass was found to be significantly different between the artificial and natural pools. However, the artificial system accurately replicated the biotic community of the natural pools. Our study revealed that algae is resilient and can withstand the predicted effects of climate change. This is of considerable importance to vernal pool communities.