Producer's Notes: Disappearing Frogs
A Pacific Chorus FrogWhen I was growing up in the Bay Area the chirping croaks of native tree frogs often serenaded us to sleep. The sound of those little Pacific Chorus frogs calling to each other was always familiar background music to long summer nights. Those were days of catching pollywogs down at the creek and finding Western Toads in our backyard garden. My brother and I knew exactly where the toads liked to sit during the hot summer afternoons. And like most young boys it was nearly impossible to resist picking them up and interrupting the poor animals' siestas. Of course the toads always expressed their irritation in the same way, leading us to immediately put them back down in gleeful disgust. This was a wonderful part of each summer's routine.
I'm sad to say my daughter probably won't share those same experiences I had. I could say it's because we live in San Francisco and cities aren't as amphibian-friendly as the suburbs. But my parents still live in the same house where I grew up. Unfortunately, it has been years since we've seen toads in the garden there. And the quiet singing of the tree frogs seems much lonelier today.
Amphibian decline is happening all over the world. And as depressing as it is not to have those fun childhood experiences of catching, playing with and hearing frogs in the garden, there is a much more serious problem going on. This can have some serious consequences to local food webs. It is also an alarming sign that there is something really unusual happening with the world's environment.
There are many reasons for the decline in the world's amphibian populations. And it seems that each region of the globe, and maybe even each species, may have its own ticking time bomb. Some places may be experiencing rapid habitat decline. There is pollution in the rainwater and chemical run-off in lakes and streams. Some places are seeing a sharp increase in parasites and diseases. Scientists are even looking at increased UV radiation. Or maybe it's a combination of multiple factors. The result is part of what some scientists are now calling the "sixth wave of extinction."
That’s a lot of doom and gloom. Luckily, scientists are racing to understand this decline and hopefully may come up with a means of curbing it before it is too late. We were fortunate to meet some of the best. We joined herpetologists Karen Swaim and Vance Vredenburg out into the field to learn more about what is happening to our local California red-legged frogs. We also visited the laboratory of Professor Tyrone Hayes at UC Berkeley to learn what his team is discovering about the connection between agricultural pesticides and frog decline. (See our additional web-only interview with Professor Hayes) You can test your amphibian knowledge by taking our QUEST quiz. Do you know why my brother and I always put down those toads?
Watch the "Disappearing Frogs" TV Story online, as well as find additional links and resources.
Chris Bauer is a Segment Producer for television on QUEST.
Tyrone Hayes spoke at Down to a Science in March. His argument (well articulated in the web only feature) is persuasive, startling, and motivating. In fact, Tyrone has "crossed the line" in advocating the ban of atrazine. More info can be found on his website: http://www.atrazinelovers.com
If you're interested in seeing Tyrone rap (that's right I said rap) more on this topic, check out this video I posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MxrH4lN0-A
News update:
Bacteria could stop frog killer
With amphibian populations collapsing all over the world, researchers are fighting to stop what some are calling the "6th wave of extinction."
One finding, presented at the American Society for Microbiology and reported by the BBC suggests that the chytrid fungus that has been devastating amphibian populations around the world may be treated using a fungus fighting bacteria. According to the article, "Scientists have found that certain types of bacteria which live naturally on amphibians produce chemicals that attack the disease-causing fungus."
To learn more about this, log onto:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7438205.stm
A new study that came out last month confirms what Tyrone Hayes had found- that agricultural pesticides cause reproductive abnormalities- including hermaphroditism- in frogs:
http://thebirdsandthepcbs.blogspot.com/2008/08/bad-news-to-start-work-week-dude-looks.html
We should all wake up to the fact that we entering a part of the cosmos that the ancients new very well its destructive force. It all has to do with the increased radiation etc. coming form our sun which is being influenced by the blast coming from the galactic center of our universe. The Mayans were very well versed regarding the effects of the cosmos and went to great lengths to pass their knowledge on to future generations. This is just the beginning of more cataclismic events yet to come. Also note the increased earthquake activity in Yellowstone. Note the changing migration patterns of many animals. We have roughly three years left of civilization as we know it. Thanks for the opportunity to discuss.
There may be a new way to combat the fast spreading and lethal chytrid fungus that has wiped out entire frog and other amphibian species throughout the world. According to a recent AP report, The Smithsonian Institution is leading six other zoos and institutes in the Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, which aims to raise $1.5 million to fight the fast-spreading chytrid fungus.
Recently published research from James Madison University, suggests a benign, fungus-fighting bacterium in frogs' skin can be used to fight the fungal infection. In the study, frogs bathed in a mixture containing the bacteria and then exposed to the fungus had a 100 percent survival rate. Now they just need to get it out there to the frogs in need.
For more information, see:
Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project: http://amphibianrescue.com