Today's rapidly changing landscapes, it is crucial not to lose areas rich in species or functional. Landscapes which contain vernal pool habitat are likely to be richer in the overall diversity of species, unusual ecological processes and species adaptations, and ecological connections between pool residents and non-residents.
Vernal pools are a unique habitat that is at risk for several reasons.
A multi-scale study of vernal pools is timely for several reasons. During each year, the amphibians must have suitable habitat in both the pools and in nearby terrestrial sites if they are to continue reproducing successfully. It is currently not clear what habitat components are most important for maintaining the presence of species which use both pools and adjacent terrestrial habitat. The inclusion of the landscape-level habitat context is significant. Spatial and functional relationships of adjacent and disjunct habitat patches are an increasingly important consideration in understanding how landscape patterns affect processes that include more than one type of habitat in a landscape.