| Vernal pools may be near a river or a lake, but have no direct connection to them. |
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Vernal pools are shallow depressions that during certain times
of the year fill with rainwater, melting snow or ground water.
At other times of the year--often during the summer and late
fall--they dry up. Even though they do not directly connect
to a stream or lake, they contribute mightily to the overall
life-web of any such ecosystem.
Why? Because the amphibians produced by
vernal pools provide important food to animals--such as birds
and rodents--that also use a river as habitat. |
