Introduction
When researching the population decline of amphibians as a global issue, it is evident that there have been drastic changes in the past 30 years. Mike Lannoo from the U.S. Declining Amphibian Task Force says that there have been significant losses in amphibian populations for an extensive period of time (No Single Reason, 1999). Stuart et al. (2004) stated that according to scientists at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), at least 427 species, roughly 7.4%, are at a dangerously high risk of extinction (Kaylor, 2006). The problem of amphibian decline cannot be linked directly to one single cause (No Single Reason, 1999). Instead, scientists have related the decline to disease, habitat loss, changes in climate, and pollution (Hayes,
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It is located along the Potomac River on the Mason Neck Peninsula, distanced approximately 29 kilometers south of Washington District of Columbia. MNNWR is home to a diverse population that includes seven reptile species, four lizard species, five salamander species, seven frog species, one toad species, and twelve snake species (Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, n.d.). The refuge’s three hiking trails provide shelter to white-tailed deer, eastern gray squirrel, red fox and wild turkey. Although there are many ponds in MNNWR, our study focuses on three: Woodmarsh, Highpoint II, and Anchorage constructed. Woodmarsh is located at N 38o 38’ 52’’ and W 77o 09’ 55’’; Highpoint II is located at N 38o 39’ 08’’ and W 77o 09’ 45’’; and Anchorage constructed is located at N 38o 37’ 22’’ and W 77o 11’ 16’’. A portion of MNNWR, 115.335 hectares across, is known as the Great Marsh. The wild rice found in this wetland habitat is suitable for waterfowl, marsh wrens, green herons, and great
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 2012. The. Web. The Web. The Web. 15 October 2013.
Hyla versicolor, commonly know as the Gray Tree Frog or the Eastern Gray Tree Frog, is an amphibian that is referred to as the “Chameleon of the Frog world” (Craighead, 2004, p.1) because of its ability to change colors. “This frog was once thought to be the same species as the Cope’s Gray Tree Frog”. They can only be distinguished by their calls and the fact that the Cope Gray Tree Frog is diploid while the Gray Tree Frog is tetraploid (NPWRC, 2004). The Gray Tree Frog is classified as follows:
Mammals of Florida. Miami, Florida: Windward Publishing. 3. Land, Darrell, and Sharon K. Taylor. 1998.
U.S. Department of the interior, National Park Service. (2013). Endangered Species. Retrieved from website: http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/endangeredspecies/index.cfm
Within the state of Florida there are dozens of individualized, non-profit organizations making an effort to help the local wildlife. The local land and marine wildlife includes birds, geckos, frogs, snakes, panthers, manatees, sea turtles, fishes, sharks, corals, lizards and many, many more. Florida State is located on the Southeastern tip of the United States providing a unique opportunity for conservation of salt-water animals. While there are animal conservation efforts taking place all over the world, this essay will focus on two animal species that humans are specifically trying to save in Florida State. The two main animal species of focus are manatees and sea turtles.
The eradication of species numbers average at a toll close to one hundred percent of earths total living creatures. “It is the Earth's most severe known extinction event, with up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct” (Sahney, and Benton 759). Not only where marine and terrestrial species effected but this catastrophic event is the only recogni...
Long-term survival of a species depends on its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions (Murphy, 1994). Genetic diversity within a species, which has taken 3.5 billion years to evolve, makes adaptations to these changing environments possible. Unfortunately, the rate of extinction of genetically diverse organisms is rapidly increasing, thus reducing this needed biodiversity, largely due to the human impacts of development and expansion. What was an average of one extinction per year before is now one extinction per hour and extinct species numbers are expected to reach approximately one million by the year 2000 (WWW site, Bio 65). As a result governmental and societal action must be taken immediately!
The Axolotl, a crucially endangered neotenous species of mole salamander, has adapted to fit its environment so it can easily catch food and evade predators. The Axolotl’s habitat is the lake system of Xochimilco, near Mexico City, Mexico. This shallow, fresh water lake complex has a temperature range of 6- 20°C and a pH of 7- 12. The complex also has the Axolotl’s primary food sources of mollusk, insect larvae, and other crustaceans. However, with the introduction of foreign species such as the Asian Carp and the African Tilapia, the Axolotl now has predators that may eat and threaten it, and it has competition for the animals it usually eats.
Shreeve, jamie “Species Revival: Should We Bring Back Extinct Animals?” ngm.nationalgeographic.com 5 March 2013, 22 March 2014
Among the species that perished were the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, belemnoids, many species of plants, except ferns and seed-producing plants, ammonoids, marine reptiles and rudist bivalves. Severely affected organisms included planktic foraminifera, calcareous nannnoplankton, diatoms, dinoflagellates, brachiopods, mollusca, echinoids and fish. Mammals, birds, turtles, crocodiles, lizards, snakes and amphibians fared much better and were mostly unaffected by the End-Cretaceous mass extinction (“The End-cretaceous (K-T) Extinction”, accessed 2000...
Since the 1980’s scientists have noted the decline of many frog species. People do not know for certain what has caused these declines. A possible factor is pollution, disease, habitat destruction, and acid rain. Another factor may be the thinning of the earth’s protective ozone layer, which allows more harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun to reach the earth. Because frogs have thin, moist skin and an aquatic tadpole stage, they are easily affected by pollution and changes in the environment.
slow extinction, or did it happen all of the sudden? These questions bring rise to many
The Global Decline of Amphibians and Its Relevance in Our Times Rishin Pandit Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology The Global Decline of Amphibians and Its Relevance in Our Times Of all known amphibian species, 42% have experienced population decline and nearly a third are threatened with extinction (Vredenburg, 2013). Amphibian species are suffering a serious global decline. Disappearances of frogs, toads, and salamanders have been reported in North, Central, and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia (Blaustein & Wake, 1990). Natterjack toads from western Britain experienced a 75 to 80 percent loss in population from 1900 to the early 1970s.
middle of paper ... ... The Web. 13 Mar. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Dinosaurs: Climate Change and Biodiversity."
The rise or fall of temperatures and the lack of precipitation can resort in consequences such as vegetation dying which can mean a lack of food supply for the animals and ultimately mean the death of animals. Extinction has been a theme in many readings throughout the course including Helen Simpson’s Diary of an Interesting Year. In Simpson’s short story she states, “No creatures left except squirrels, rats, and pigeons, unless you count the insects” (109). In this short story, the audience views that in the year 2040 nearly all animal species have gone extinct due to “the Big Melt” which is based on climate change (101-115). In the horrible conditions described within the story, insects prove to be survivors that are capable of outlasting any other species. In my script, humans get their food from the “insecto-snapper” which is just an insect trap because insects are the only means of food and protein in this futuristic situation. Simpson’s short story connects with my script by discussing the result of extinction and how much of an affect the loss of animals have on humans and their ability to survive without animal meat. One other reading that has the extinction theme was Lydia Millet’s Zoogoing, which describes animals who are “alone on the earth, vanishing” (39). Millet’s short story tells of a world that is in the process of extinction but still has the effects of a world without animals. Both Simpson and Millet’s short stories contribute to my script by describing a future where humans no longer rely or care about animal