While scientists argue over what factors are to blame, more than 40
percent of amphibious species are at risk for "imminent extinction."
If you happen to see a frog hopping around in your back yard, take a
good look— it might not be around for much longer. Ecologists are
increasingly warning that due to habitat destruction, widespread
infectious disease and climate change, amphibians are facing "extinction
in real time."
As many as 40 percent of amphibious species, which include frogs,
salamanders and newts, could be facing "imminent extinction," according
to David Wake, a researcher at the University of California Berkeley.
"It's happening around the world … we're seeing it on our watch," he
says. "People talk more about birds or mammals because they are
charismatic, they're in the public eye. I'm concerned about rhinos and
tigers, too, but in the meantime, we're losing the things that are in
our backyard."
Scientists first began noticing the decline in the late 1980s, but
despite increased awareness, amphibious populations haven't grown.
"If anything, the problem has gotten worse," Wake says. "The
attention we've given to it has led to some surprising discoveries,"
such as Chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease caused by a fungus that
lives around the world and has a near 100 percent mortality rate in
amphibious animals. So far, biologists haven't been able to stop the
disease.
Researchers disagree, however, on why we might soon have to say
farewell to frogs forever. A controversial paper published in November
by Christian Hof, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen, asserted
that climate change is one of the biggest reasons the amphibian
population is in worldwide decline. In an analysis released Friday in
Science Magazine, Wake admits amphibians might be susceptible to
changing climates, but their survival over millions of years points
towards adaptability.
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