In the world, there are approximately 4,740 species of frogs that can most likely be found in warm, tropical regions near the equator (). Frogs mostly remain near water or moist areas because they are amphibians. Frogs breathe and absorb water through their skin to collect vital nutrients that they need to survive. A frog is important to an ecosystem because they serve as a predator and prey, but what will happen to the ecosystem if all the frogs are extinct? Over 100 different species have gone extinct, and approximately 287 species of amphibians around the world have been detected with the newly found fungus known as Chytrid ().
Chytrid, formally known as Chytridiomycosis, is an emerging infectious disease of amphibians caused by an aquatic fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or Bd (). Bd occurs inside the cells of the outer skin layers that contain large amounts of a protein called keratin (). Keratin makes the outside of the skin tough and resistant to injury, which is some cases is a good thing, but not for frogs. When infected with the Chytrid fungus, a frog's skin becomes very thick making it impossible for a frog to absorb oxygen and water. Other unknown causes are present, scientists also have theories, but Chytrid is the number one cause of
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population decline. Frogs have been on earth more than 250 million years so a sudden and dramatic decline in the population is mysterious.
Researchers believe that climate, toxins, and waste can also contribute to the disappearances of amphibians. Toxins and waste that have been dumped in or nearby water ecosystems have cause frogs to mutate. Frogs have been seen with no legs or arms, only one leg or arm, or three or four legs. In some areas, researchers have found male frogs that are carrying eggs in their reproductive organs like a female. These frogs have “transformed” into female frogs. These mutations and deformities are a serious issue because the genes can be passes down to the larvae and they could also be
affected. All of this may not seem that important because they're just frogs, but frogs are a central part of an ecosystem that everyone benefits from, including humans. Without frogs there would be an excessive amount of algae because tadpoles keep waterways clean by feeding on the algae. Adult frogs eat large quantities of insects, including disease vectors that can transmit fatal illnesses to humans such as malaria or West Nile Virus. Frogs also serve as an important food source to a diverse array of predators, including fish, snakes, birds, and even monkeys, and without frogs a lot of these animals could die out as well. Scientists are able to use the skin of a frog and create medicines and find cures to diseases like HIV. It is important that we contribute to the cause to help save the frogs. At this rate, the frog popoulation could mostly be extinct withing the next few decades if people don't begin to make drastic measures. Frogs are not just an amphibian or just an animal that jumps around. Frogs are vital to the human society as well as the animal society. So, as long as the frogs are in danger, the whole world is in danger.
Get ready to learn about the deadliest and smallest poisonous animal in the world. The Strawberry Poison-Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio) is the most poisonous animal in the world. It’s as big as a finger very colorful. These frogs are native from Central America. In this essay, you will learn what its adaptations are, what process has it used to become what it is now, how it impacts society, how it relates to everyday life and what are the short-term and long-term impacts.
When Dillard said the frog “seemed to collapse” like a “deflating football” she is describing how the frog shriveled up when it was slowly dying. Dillard then explains exactly why the frog died, her diction when explaining the frogs death suggests a homicide but the details of her telling suggest that it is a common occurrence in nature. The innocent child that once walked along the island shore gawking over the “inelegant” frogs, has been transformed into a child with a new understanding for the abysmal circle of life. The main character is notably upset at the end of the essay, the lifeless frog corpse sunk to the bottom of the shallow puddle and she “couldn’t catch [her] breath”. The water bug that killed the frog did nothing wrong and was only following instinct, but still it left the girl altered and with a new understanding for life,
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:
“The Chrysalids” by John Wyndham is an entertaining yet plausible story. It compels the reader to think about human nature and our attitude to the world around us that we often take for granted.
The short story "The Chrysanthemums" gives insight into the life of its author. John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. The locale of the story is of key resemblance to the Salinas in which Steinbeck was born and bread. "Salinas was a typical American small town, [differing] only in location and a few distinctive features" (McCarthy 3). The protagonist of this story, Elisa Allen, also resembles Steinbeck's first wife. "Steinbeck probably based the character of Elisa Allen on his own first wife, Carol Henning Steinbeck. Like Elisa, Carol was a woman of considerable talent and energy who wore 'masculine clothes' and was 'strong, large-boned' and 'handsome rather than pretty'" (Hughes 23). Similar to the time frame in which Steinbeck lived, the theme of the story comes across as being male dominant and the rustic setting allows us to visualize this.
Smith, Hobart M. and Zim, Herbet S. Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Western Publishing Company, 1987. Print.
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 name of my species is Hydrilla. The scientific name of this species is Esthwaite Waterweed. The classification is Alismatales because all plants that fall there is either aquatic or tropical. Hydrilla has really impacted our world. The Hydrilla plant may be "good" to goldfish, for the reason that they play with it, yet it can ruin anybody's life. It was brought from another country, but it really impacted people's lives and the ecosystems. Although Hydrilla was originally from warmer parts of Asia, it has spread in some parts of North America. The Hydrilla was found in Florida in 1960 due to the aquarium trade. It impacted our lives and other organisms lives because of the scarce vegetation. In the ecosystem, the hydrilla would kill many
Red-eyed tree frogs are found in tropical lowlands of southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. The frogs live in the trees of the rainforest. The suction cups on their feet and their long tongues help them adapt to their habitat. Their green bodies help them blend in to their habitat and keep them safe from predators.
With global warming on the increase and species habitats on the decrease, the chances for various ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many studies have pointed out that the rates of extinction of animal and plant species and the temperature changes around the world since the industrial revolution have been significantly different to normal expectations.
And although adult frogs breathe by means of lungs, they also breathe through their skin. The eggs of different species vary in size, color, and shape. A jelly like substance covers frog eggs, providing a protective coating. This jelly also differs from species to species. Some species of frogs lay several thousand eggs at a time. But only a few of these eggs develop into adult frogs. Ducks, fish, insects, and other water creatures eat many of the eggs. Even if the eggs hatch, the tadpoles also face the danger of being eaten by larger water animals. The pond or stream in which the eggs were laid sometimes dries up. As a result, the tadpoles die. Certain tropical frogs lay their eggs in rain water that collects among the leaves of plants or in holes in trees. Other tropical species attach their eggs to the underside of leaves that grow over water.
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura. The order Anura is broken down into 22 different families of frogs and toads. Although they belong to the same order, frogs and toads are different in a lot of ways. Some of the more distinct differences are their skin and where they live. Frogs usually have smooth moist skin and toads usually have dry watery looking skin. Frogs spend most of their lives in or near water and toads spend more time on land. Amphibian means "double life." Frogs and toads each have two parts to their lives: when they live on water and when they live land. A frog's life starts in the water when it is hatched from an egg as a tadpole. A tadpole looks very different from an adult frog. A tadpole has a tail, no limbs, and breathes through gills. After a while the tadpole goes through metamorphosis. During the change the frog grows limbs, the tail disappears, it uses lungs to breathe, and it doesn't have to live in water anymore. As a tadpole, the frog feeds mostly on vegetation. The tadpoles have a small rasping mouth suited especially for scraping algea from the bottom of ponds. Depending on the species, it can take a few weeks to a year or more for the tadpoles to become fully grown. Not all frogs hatch as tadpoles. Some species of frogs hatch as froglets. Froglets look just like adult frogs but are a lot smaller. Froglets don't go through a metamophosis. Most species that hatch as froglets are found in dry places. Frogs who live in dry places where rains are seasonal have to grow up quickly because a tadpole will die if their temporary pond dries up. Adult frogs can live in water or on land, but it always needs to be near water so its respiratory organs don't dry out.
They have learned to survive and evolve over intense global changes and geographical changes. Amnh.org says, “Like all amphibians, frogs are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperatures change with the temperature of their surroundings. When temperatures drop, some frogs dig burrows underground or in the mud at the bottom of ponds. They hibernate in these burrows until spring, completely still and scarcely breathing.” Without a survival mechanism these animals would be here and like said before it would take a toll. Being able to adapt and survive to is a big part to have an evolution of species. In the front of my pongs just a few feet from the pond we would see tiny holes that soon would be covered with dirt. We also emptied the pond during the winter so it wasn’t frozen throughout the winter. At the bottom we would always see little burrows into the mud. Its extraordinary that frogs learned to do this to stay alive during the cold
Many scientists were fascinated by the creatures that seemed to disappear from the forests of Queensland every year and during this time were thought to be hibernating. Although before they had a chance to study them in further detail the frogs became extinct.
Frog is one of the animals which live on the land and in the fresh water. Frogs are distinguished from other reptiles and fishes by their specific features. Generally, frogs are categorised in kingdom of Animalia, phylum of Chordata, subphylum of Vertebrata, class of Amphibia, order of Anura and family of Ranidae (Amsel, 2014). The common species of frog found is Rana tigrina. Frog is actually one of the poikilotherms animals or known as cold blooded animals. Frogs do not have constant temperature of the body as their body temperature depends on the external temperature (Prosser & Nelson, 1981). Frogs can protect themselves from predators by camouflaging due to their smaller sizes. Frogs have streamlined body and have feet with the webbed digits which enable them to swim. They have different skin colours depending on the species and the habitat. The dorsal part of the common frog is green with the presence of black spots while the ventral part is lighter. The body of the frog is consists of two parts which are trunk and head (Bolton, 2014). In fact, frog does not have the tail and neck as they turn into adult. The head is consists of the two nostrils and laterally protruded eyes covered with nictitating membrane while the trunk consist of two pairs of limbs that are used for locomotion.