Amphibian Decline Essay 2009
The Worldwide Amphibian Decline
Introduction
Amphibians are extremely vital in the ecosystem as secondary food consumers since they are the prey items for vertebrates and invertebrates and control the biological pest. However, in recent years there has been a rather huge extinction of all kind of species recorded around the world. They are declining in an alarming rate, with over 43 percent of species in a state of decline (Lips et al., ND). Amphibians, such as frogs, toads, salamanders and newts, are cold-blooded animals that metamorphose from a water-breathing from into an air-breathing from and are therefore most vulnerable to any changes occurring in their habitat (National Geographic, 2008). This rather reproductive specie is lately suffering from an extremely rapid decline. Many causes remain still unknown to the modern scientists (MSNBC, 2004), although most of them agree that this mass extinction is caused by the human impact on the Earth’s environment (Rohr et al., 2008).
Decline in amphibians, mammals and birds
Amphibians have been living on the Earth for already 250 million years and have survived the five greatest mass extinctions which the dinosaurs for example didn’t (Sciencdaily, 2008). Nevertheless it is unquestionable that the newest one is more devastating than all the others since it hasn’t been caused naturally but by humans (ibid). Humans are constantly changing the climate, annihilating and polluting the environment and introducing persistent organisms. In fact 32,5 percent, which means 1’856 of the known species of amphibians are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as globally threatened (MSNBC, 2004). In comparison, only 2 3 percent of the mammals, and 12 percent of the birds are falling into the IUCN’s categories of vulnerable, endangered of critically endangered species (Stuart et al., 2004). However, according to Stuart et al. (2004), the “level of threat to amphibians is undoubtedly
Introduction
Amphibians are extremely vital in the ecosystem as secondary food consumers since they are the prey items for vertebrates and invertebrates and control the biological pest. However, in recent years there has been a rather huge extinction of all kind of species recorded around the world. They are declining in an alarming rate, with over 43 percent of species in a state of decline (Lips et al., ND). Amphibians, such as frogs, toads, salamanders and newts, are cold-blooded animals that metamorphose from a water-breathing from into an air-breathing from and are therefore most vulnerable to any changes occurring in their habitat (National Geographic, 2008). This rather reproductive specie is lately suffering from an extremely rapid decline. Many causes remain still unknown to the modern scientists (MSNBC, 2004), although most of them agree that this mass extinction is caused by the human impact on the Earth’s environment (Rohr et al., 2008).
Decline in amphibians, mammals and birds
Amphibians have been living on the Earth for already 250 million years and have survived the five greatest mass extinctions which the dinosaurs for example didn’t (Sciencdaily, 2008). Nevertheless it is unquestionable that the newest one is more devastating than all the others since it hasn’t been caused naturally but by humans (ibid). Humans are constantly changing the climate, annihilating and polluting the environment and introducing persistent organisms. In fact 32,5 percent, which means 1’856 of the known species of amphibians are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as globally threatened (MSNBC, 2004). In comparison, only 2 3 percent of the mammals, and 12 percent of the birds are falling into the IUCN’s categories of vulnerable, endangered of critically endangered species (Stuart et al., 2004). However, according to Stuart et al. (2004), the “level of threat to amphibians is undoubtedly
References: Accessed: 09.04.09 Cynthia Carey (2000), Bio-Medicine: Link between climate change, amphibian decline explored http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6249901/ Accessed: 03.04.09 National Geographic (2008), Amphibians Rincon P. (2008), BBC: Climate link to amphibian decline. Internet. http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/1118.pdf Accessed: 10.04.09 Sciencedaily (1999), Agriculture linked to Red-Legged Frog decline in California Accessed: 05.04.09 Sciencedaily (2008), Climate change effects in Imperiled Sierra Frog examined Accessed: 05.04.09 Sciencedaily (2008), Dying Frogs sign of a Biodiversity Crisis