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Woodland pools are temporary forest wetlands. While they only last a few months, they produce an abundance of wildlife. During the spring breeding season, a single pool can yield thousands of amphibians. That’s a lot of frogs and salamanders. Pools also produce copious amounts of insects, which are essential food for forest animals.
In addition to being breeding grounds, woodland pools also act as miniature recycling depots. When leaves enter pools, they are broken down by bacteria and fungi, which are fed on by insects, which are eaten by larger animals like frogs. When amphibians and insects emerge from the pools, they feed forest-dwelling animals, like birds and bats, completing the cycle from trees back to the forest.
Woodland pools also provide direct services to society. Imagine a forest with dozens of these pools. Each holds some 60,000 gallons of water. So a forest with 20 pools – a conservative number for the Northeast – would hold over 1.2 million gallons of water. In the absence of pools, this excess water would contribute to flooding.
The amphibians that breed in woodland pools are very sensitive to changes in the environment, and are often the first animals to respond to new chemicals or pathogens. This makes them important indicators of environmental degradation.
While it is obvious that woodland pools are important for wildlife, to effectively promote their conservation we need to recognize their value to our own health and well being.
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This segment was written in collaboration with Michael Rubbo of Teatown Lake Reservation
Photo, taken on March 19, 2011, courtesy of Richard Bonnett via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, with partial support from the Field Day Foundation.