Editing Vernal pool (section)

==Ecology==
Despite being dry at times, vernal pools teem with life when filled, serving as critical breeding grounds for many amphibian and invertebrate species. The most obvious inhabitants are various species of breeding frogs and toads. Some salamanders also utilize vernal pools for reproduction, but the adults may visit the pool only briefly. Other notable inhabitants are ''[[Daphnia]]'' and [[fairy shrimp]], the latter often used as an [[indicator species]] to decisively define a vernal pool. Other indicator species, at least in [[New England]], are the [[wood frog]], the [[Scaphiopus holbrookii|spadefoot toad]], and some species of [[mole salamander]]s. 

While vernal pools can be devoid of fish, in some habitats such as African Savannah vernal pools, [[killifish]] may, due to the ability of their eggs to survive desiccation, co-exist with their [[branchiopod]] crustacean prey which utilize the same strategy to survive dry periods. Some killifish mature in only three to six weeks in order to make the most use of temporary pools before they disappear.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pinceel |first1=Tom |last2=Berghen |first2=Birgit Vanden |last3=Buschke |first3=Falko |last4=Waterkeyn |first4=Aline |last5=Nerantzoulis |first5=Ivan da Costa |last6=Rodrigues |first6=Mery |last7=Thoré |first7=Eli |last8=Burrough |first8=Rick |last9=Worth |first9=Ellery |last10=Brendonck |first10=Luc |title=Co-occurrence of large branchiopods and killifish in African savannah ponds |journal=Ecology |date=2021 |volume=102 |issue=12 |pages=e03505 |doi=10.1002/ecy.3505 |pmid=34319594 |url=https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ecy.3505 |language=en |issn=1939-9170|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Some of the species within vernal pools are endangered. Fairy shrimp are [[crustacean]]s in the family Branchinectidae. It takes about 30 hours for them to start to hatch in water and it takes 50 days for them to mature. In springtime, the eggs hatch and they can go dormant. There are different types of fairy shrimp in different vernal pools because the pools can act like islands because they are so isolated.{{Cn|date=May 2021}}

Certain plant species are also associated with vernal pools, although the particular species depend upon the ecological region. The flora of [[South Africa]]n vernal pools, for example, are different from those of Californian vernal pools, and they have characteristic [[Anostraca]], such as various ''[[Branchipodopsis]]'' species. In some northern areas, [[Notostracans|tadpole shrimp]] are more common. Some vernal pool inhabitants are becoming threatened due to [[habitat loss]]. One of these inhabitants is the [[California tiger salamander|California Tiger Salamander.]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=California Tiger Salamander - Amphibians and Reptiles, Endangered Species Accounts |url=https://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es_species/Accounts/Amphibians-Reptiles/ca_tiger_salamander/|access-date=June 8, 2020|website=Sacramento Fish and Wildlife|language=en}}</ref>