Скачать или смотреть The Distribution and Ecology of Vernal Pools

From the cracked mud and seemingly barren plains comes an eruption of color on the alluvial terraces of the Great Valley of California. A succession of rainbows of color in concentric rings around the drying vernal pools -- small, rain-filled depressions with an impermeable layer of clay,hardpan or volcanic material that prevents the water from percolating downward -- vernal pools support a flora and fauna found nowhere else on the face of this planet. Vernal pools were once widespread in the Great Valley, as were the wildflowers that characterize these unique habitats; about 90% of the state's vernal pools are now gone.

Enjoy a program on this fascinating habitat by one of the state's authorities on the subject. Carol Witham, editor of Ecology, Conservation, and Management of Vernal Pool Ecosystems, will present a slideshow on the distribution, ecology, and unique flowers and aquatic organisms of vernal pools.