The Vernal Pool Phenology Project is a multi-site, long-term study testing for phenological asynchrony between amphibians breeding in woodland pools and the woody plants surrounding those pools.
UNH Site Coordinators:
Jennifer Purrenhage (Natural Resources)
Dave Steinberg (Biological Sciences)
Mike Simmons (Natural Resources)
The Vernal Pool Phenology Project (VPPP) is a networked research project of the Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN). The EREN VPPP is co-led by Jen & Dave (UNH) and collaborators Mary Beth Kolozsvary (Siena College) & Thilina Surasinghe (Bridgewater State Univ.).
In Spring 2022, we conducted a pilot study and collected baseline data on phenology of pool-breeding amphibians and plants surrounding vernal pools. The pilot study was conducted by participants at five institutions in the northeastern United States, all of whom are members of the Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN).
We study amphibian phenology using both acoustic monitoring (for earliest wood frog calling) and egg mass surveys (for earliest wood frog and spotted salamander egg deposition) and we monitor plant phenology via biweekly field surveys of tree species dominant in the canopy adjacent to each study pool.
In Spring 2023, we enter our 2nd pilot season with a few revisions to our protocols, including an expansion of our site selection to allow for the inclusion of small, fishless woodland pools that may not meet all the criteria of a ‘vernal pool’. We also plan to integrate phenology data from the National Phenology Network (NPN) database to compare local and regional patterns.
Images below: wood frogs in amplexus (far left); wood frog eggs (center images); wood frog eggs embryos developing (far right) / Photos: J. Purrenhage
In addition to collecting amphibian and plant phenophase data, we monitor water level and air/water temperature (using a water gauge and dataloggers) and wildlife visitations to vernal pools (using trail cameras) throughout the year at each study pool.
A few highlights from trail cameras at our study pools: barred owl, bobcat, beaver (left to right) / spring 2022
Community engagement and education are critical for effective conservation of species and we love bringing our passion for the natural world to our community. During our first season, we jumped into working with third-graders at Mast Way Elementary School in nearby Lee, NH, as they explored amphibians, vernal pools, sketching in science, and field observation skills.