Around
the world in nearly every country there are many different controversial hot
topics that are debated each day. One of the controversial topics is the never
ending issue of our environment and the choices we make impact the future
survival of species and humans. As the environment continues to modify
resulting from human impact, there are many devastating losses that will occur.
Our frog population will be a direct target as they are forced to find new
habitats or they decline in population.
There
are many different reasons as to why our weather and climate are changing but
the result of any given reason is that our frog populations are in danger.
According to Cunningham & Cunningham, "the average global temperature
has climbed about 0.6 (degrees) C (1 degree F). Nineteen of the 20 warmest
years in the past 150 have occurred since 1980". This means that as our
seasons are getting warmer year after year. This is not a positive
environmental change to many countries whose regions depend on polar
temperatures.
The
majority of humans enjoy warm weather but that is not the case for frogs and
their ecosystem. Frogs require moisture to exist and "rising temperatures
and decreasing precipitation can desiccate aquatic breeding habitats (16–19),
preventing spawning" (McMenamin, 2008). When frogs mate in areas that are
affected by warmer temperature changes, the eggs will not survive after being
fertilized because the moisture has been reduced. This is an issue in Panama
and Costa Rica.
The
warmer temperatures has caused many frogs that live on mountains, known as
cloud forests, to relocate because they cannot lay their eggs on moist leaves
(Kriger, 2008-2001). With the warmer temperatures, the clouds could raise, and
if they do, even a few hundred meters, the soil will lose its moisture and the
leaves will be dry leaving the frog eggs no hope for survival. There is only so
far up a mountain a species can travel before there is nowhere left to call
home and survive.
A
warmer climate change is a problem with habitats where frogs breed near ponds.
If the water has dried up, where will the female go to lay her eggs? The
problem is prevalent in Africa and in Yellowstone National Park. There are
three species of frogs that live in Yellowstone National Park, the most
protected park around since 1872. Unfortunately, due to climate change,
"droughts have been increasing over the last 50 years, and 25% of the
ponds that existed in the early 1990's no longer fill with water" (Kriger,
2008-2001). This is a concern for three of the four species living in the park
because they have lost their habitat as a breeding ground. If a species cannot
lay their eggs and produce offspring that will survive in such a temperature,
then a species will become extinct in a short period of time.
Another
effect of warmer temperatures is the survival of the deadly chytrid fungus to
frogs around the world. Chytrid thrives in warm water and if it is present in
the water sources that the frogs are surrounding, then the chances are higher
for the frogs to come into contact and become infected with chytrid.
As
our climate changes due to various reasons caused by humans, our air quality is
also in jeopardy. Nature also takes some blame as to the air quality we all breathe.
Volcanoes can be a costly health hazard to humans and frogs.
In
June 2011, a volcanic eruption at Mount Puyehue, Chile has put the Darwin Frogs
in danger. Volcanic ash is harmful to the environment because as it covers
plants sunlight cannot enter allowing for photosynthesis and the plant will
suffocate from lack of air and water. Frogs are also in danger due to the ash.
Frogs breathe through their skin and if they are layered in ash, they will
suffocate as a direct result. Rain can help remove some of the ash but it is
still present under leaves and many food sources for the Darwin Frog have
perished as a result of the volcanic ash.
Many
scientists, including Claudio Soto-Azat, have been studying the Darwin Frog
because of its rapid decline in Chile and more specifically of its unique
parenting style (Attenborough, 2012). The female Darwin frog will lay her eggs,
and then the male takes the eggs with his mouth and stores them in his vocal
sac where they will develop into baby Darwin Frogs (Attenborough, 2012). The
habitat of the Darwin Frog is still under careful observation to make sure the
frog population does not decline any further and become extinct.
Works Cited:
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