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Amphibian eggs, laid in the water, also lack shells. Every pollutant which goes into our wetlands eventually makes its way into their bodies or eggs.
Frogs and toads are also especially susceptible to the effects of climate change, since their breeding seasons are closely aligned with the weather. Another threat is a fungus first identified by scientists at the National Zoo in the 1990s. This chytrid (“kit-rid”) fungus has now been identified in wild frogs in five continents. Its rapid spread, probably accelerated by global climate change, makes it one of the worst wildlife disease outbreaks ever ideatified.
Conservationists from around the world are now working to increase our understanding of these threats and develop ways to counter them. In extreme cases, some species may need to be brought into "protective custody" in zoos to ensure they do not disappear, with the hope that future breakthroughs will enable them to be reintroduced back into
their native habitat ^W***^^^
Why trogfr«re important 3SJSJ
The loss of amphibians can tell us . , important things about the quality of our environment. They are among the earliest indicators of habitat degradation which jnay ultimately threaten us, too. \ Frogs and toads are also key parts of the natural food web. They eat copious quantities of insects gnd in turn provide food for reptiles, like the water snake ur • our pond, wading birds, and raccoons, among many other animals. The ability of wood frogs to survive being totally frozen may yield dues about how to prevent frostbite, qpd many other frogs harbor equally fascinating mysteries. ! And frogs can bring us delight. Before the wood frogs in our pond had finished their subtle singing, shrubby wetlands all over the Virginia Piedmont were filled with the piercing whistles of spring peepers, which will continue well into May. The melodious trills of American toads also joined the peepers, though for me their breeding finished all too soon.
As summer comes on, wetlands will be filled with raucous trills of the vgray treefrog, plunking notes of the green frog, >
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