Disappearing Frogs – It’s No Magic TrickCelebrating three decades of Pulse of the Planet, here’s a program from our archives.Scientists the world over are faced with a mystery: why are somany species of frogs and toads disappearing? I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Ambience, seismic frogs, Wake: I think frogs are particularly vulnerable to environmental change. David Wake is director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California in Berkeley. Wake: Frogs occupy a very interesting situation in ecosystems.They’re sampling the environment in many ways throughout theirlives. For example, as eggs they lie on the surface of water,usually exposed to intense direct radiation. The eggs develop, the larvae come out, tadpoles feed on aquatic vegetation, they go through a metamorphic phase. (and) There’s an incredible amount of environmental stress taking place at that time. Then as adults, they’re out on land, by and large, a typical frog is out on the land, and it has a moist skin, it’s respiring through the skin, the skin is out there exposed to the environment. It’s almost as if we imagined ourselves having our lungs wrapped around the outside of our body. So they’re just bathed in the environment in a way that we are not. Some of the suspects in the amphibians’ decline include global warming, acid rain, habitat destruction and increased levels of ultraviolet radiation. Wake: We have to keep in mind that the environment around the world is under siege really, as far as natural diversity is concerned, and it could be just a general environmental decline around the world. The disappearance of frogs could be a warning sign to other species, including man. This archival program is part of our thirtieth anniversary celebration. If you want hear more, check out our podcast.
Disappearing Frogs - It's No Magic Trick
Are Frogs and other amphibians barometers of environmental change?
Air Date:08/13/2018
Scientist:
Transcript:
Disappearing Frogs - It's No Magic TrickCelebrating three decades of Pulse of the Planet, here's a program from our archives.Scientists the world over are faced with a mystery: why are somany species of frogs and toads disappearing? I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Ambience, seismic frogs, Wake: I think frogs are particularly vulnerable to environmental change. David Wake is director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California in Berkeley. Wake: Frogs occupy a very interesting situation in ecosystems.They're sampling the environment in many ways throughout theirlives. For example, as eggs they lie on the surface of water,usually exposed to intense direct radiation. The eggs develop, the larvae come out, tadpoles feed on aquatic vegetation, they go through a metamorphic phase. (and) There's an incredible amount of environmental stress taking place at that time. Then as adults, they're out on land, by and large, a typical frog is out on the land, and it has a moist skin, it's respiring through the skin, the skin is out there exposed to the environment. It's almost as if we imagined ourselves having our lungs wrapped around the outside of our body. So they're just bathed in the environment in a way that we are not. Some of the suspects in the amphibians' decline include global warming, acid rain, habitat destruction and increased levels of ultraviolet radiation. Wake: We have to keep in mind that the environment around the world is under siege really, as far as natural diversity is concerned, and it could be just a general environmental decline around the world. The disappearance of frogs could be a warning sign to other species, including man. This archival program is part of our thirtieth anniversary celebration. If you want hear more, check out our podcast.