Date: January 25, 2019
Source: Simon Fraser University
A species of
frog endemic to the Pacific Northwest faces a 50 per cent increase in the
probability of extinction by the 2080s due to climate change, according to a
new study published by SFU researchers in the Ecological Society of
America.
The
mountain-dwelling Cascades frog thrives in extreme climatic conditions, ranging
from dozens of feet of snow in winter to temperatures in excess of 90°F in summer.
Cascades frogs are explosive breeders and their role as predators of flying
insects is critical to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
SFU
biologist Wendy Palen, along with co-authors Mike Adams of the United States
Geological Survey and Maureen Ryan and Amanda Kissel of Conservation Science
Partners, set out to understand the effects of climate change on these unique
amphibians.
Specifically,
they aimed to assess how the warmer and drier temperatures occurring with
climate change affect the survival of two distinct aspects of the frog's life
cycle: in the aquatic stage where the frogs develop as tadpoles in shallow
ponds, and in the terrestrial environment stage where they live as adults.
During the
frogs' aquatic stage, the researchers evaluated whether warmer temperatures
would increase food production and result in larger, healthier frogs upon
metamorphosis, or whether entire generations of frogs would die in years when
warmer, drier winters lead to ponds that dry quickly, stranding tadpoles before
metamorphosis.
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