Meeting Abstract
Prescribed fire is a technique used by land and forest managers to create more ecologically desirable vegetative habitat. Vernal pools, small bodies of water that fill in the winter or spring but dry up by the end of the summer, are often in the path of these prescribed fires. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the changes in landscape brought about by prescribed fire on macroinvertebrate communities in vernal pool ecosystems. Water samples were collected throughout the year from 12 vernal pools with varying fire histories one and two years post-burn. Macroinvertebrates were counted and identified to family. We compared species richness and diversity among treatments and throughout years. Additionally, we measured pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity within each vernal pool, and canopy openness over each vernal pool. We tested for relationships among vernal pool characteristics and macroinvertebrate community composition. Our results will address if macroinvertebrates are affected by post-fire landscapes, and direct forest managers in their implementation of this landscape management technique.
