From: gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us (Gary S. Trujillo)
Newsgroups: sci.environment
Subject: Re: frogs in decline?
Date: 15 Dec 92 07:04:41 GMT
Article-I.D.: gnosys.1992Dec15.070441.10239

In <Bz8F8y.K1u@unix.amherst.edu> hsgibbon@unix.amherst.edu
	(HENRY SANFORD GIBBONS) writes:

> I just read in the New York Times Magazine that many herpetologists studying
> frog populations over the last ten years or so have witnessed their subjects
> dying off at an alarming rate.  This phenomenon is not confined to certain
> sensitive areas but is widespread and includes several common species as well.
> ...

I saved a number of articles on this subject posted over the past several
years, most of them around 1989-90, as I recall.  I sent them to someone
who stripped the headers (don't ask why), and posted them to a BBS from
which I just retrieved them, since it was easier than digging them out of
my archives again.  Sorry for the incomplete attributions.

All of these are, I believe, from sci.environment.

Gary

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

** Topic: Amphibians **
** Written  1:36 am  Mar 27, 1992 by mdewart in cdp:gl.library **


** Written  1:36 am  Mar 27, 1992 by mdewart in cdp:gl.library **

In article <981@tahoma.UUCP> jpg3196@tahoma.UUCP (James P. Galasyn) writes:
>I saw on CNN a couple weeks ago that the global population of frogs and
>toads is declining "drastically."  Anyone have more information?  Is the
>Eco-econocataclysm upon us?

Sounds like acid rain.  It changes the pH in their habitat, causing the
eggs to dissolve, or at least fail to mature.  I think there is also
some concern about the world-wide reptile population for a similar
reason.
--
Paul Gillingwater, paul@actrix.co.nz

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 See Science News 24 Feb 90 p 116, and 3 Mar 90 p 142.

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** Written  1:38 am  Mar 27, 1992 by mdewart in cdp:gl.library **

<I saw on CNN a couple weeks ago that the global population of frogs and toads
is declining "drastically."  Anyone have more information?  Is the
Eco-econocataclysm upon us?>

Science News just had an article.  A large part of it is habitat destruction,
but more ominously, scientists found that what they had thought was a
particularly hardy salamander in remote parts of Colorado was being destroyed
by acid rain.

This is from memory -- instead of flaming, go read the article.

							   Jan Steinman - N7JDB
					Tektronix Electronic Systems Laboratory
					Box 500, MS 50-370, Beaverton, OR 97077
						(w)503/627-5881 (h)503/657-7703


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** Written  1:39 am  Mar 27, 1992 by mdewart in cdp:gl.library **

In James P. Galasyn writes:
>
>I saw on CNN a couple weeks ago that the global population of frogs and
>toads is declining "drastically."  Anyone have more information?
>Eco-econocataclysm upon us?

Here's a summary of a Science News article about this.  It presents results
from a National Research Council conference in CA.  There seems to be strong
evidence linking acid rain and snow with salamander mortality in the western
US.  Others maintained that global climate change is the cause.  Areas
affected inlcude open woodlands in Austrailia, the Colorado Rockies, and
the tropical forests of Brazil and Costa Rica.  The decline seems to have
begun 10 - 20 years ago but only recently received publicity.  Henry Wilbur
of Duke said that amphibians make good "canaries in the coal mine" since their
skin readily absorbs soil and water chemicals, and the bugs they eat often
concentrate toxins.  They are also vulnerable to drought, it seems.  Frogs
normally have population fluctuations.  The current decline seems to be related
to the fact that frogs often need access to several interconnected habitats
to survive.  Habitat pressure from human activity means they become more
vulnerable.

One frog only lays eggs in a 10-day window between dry and rainy seasons, and
lately that interval has fluctuated, which might explain this particular
population decline.  Acid snow in the Rockies damages tiger salamander eggs
during development.  Stocking game fish in US lakes may have also helped in
the deline in US amphibians.

"The interaction [causing the decline] may differ from region to region, but
there is clearly a global problem of some kind - some kind of climate effect, "
says Marc Hayes of UMiami.  Researchers suspect interrelated trends:  gloabl
warming, increased C02 and methane in the air, and a slight increase in UV
radiation.  But know one knows.  Some scientists hoped the decline will serve
as a rallying point for scientists and the public.  "Who cares about spiders
in the Amazon?  Kermit the Frog the public understands."
>
>                  .
>    DEATH       .  ..                Now it's 1984.
>              .     . .              Knock, knock at your front door.
>      .     .        .  .            It's the suede leather secret police.
                                                     ^^^^^^^
>    .  .. .           .   .   .      They have come for your uncool niece.
>  .     . .            .    .  ..                         - Dead Kennedys

Really, now, DEATH, this is a sci group.  Try to get your facts straight.
That's suede *DENIM* secret police.  But while we're paraphrasing,
(with apologies to Juluka, no stranger to extinction)

				The forest is a shattered province
				Pockets of owls still hold on in the ruins
				EarthFirst!ers sent reinforcements
				But they were ambushed on high ground
				I'm living through a war in peace time
				Dying to get through to you...

				Ngikhanysele weDiozi lami
				Spotted Owls on the run

8^(      8^(       8^(        8^(         8^(        8^(      8^(

				For the Forest,

				JimH




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** Written  1:39 am  Mar 27, 1992 by mdewart in cdp:gl.library **

In article <2048@qtc.UUCP>, jimh@qtc.UUCP (Jim Hurst) writes:
> In James P. Galasyn writes:
> >
> >I saw on CNN a couple weeks ago that the global population of frogs and
> >toads is declining "drastically."  Anyone have more information?
> >Eco-econocataclysm upon us?
>
> Here's a summary of a Science News article about this.  It presents results
> from a National Research Council conference in CA.  There seems to be strong
> evidence linking acid rain and snow with salamander mortality in the western
> US.  Others maintained that global climate change is the cause.  Areas
> affected inlcude open woodlands in Austrailia, the Colorado Rockies, and
> the tropical forests of Brazil and Costa Rica.

And New Jersey!

I just read an article in Newark, New Jersey's Star-Ledger newspaper
on how there was recently a meeting of researchers from all over the
state to discuss the problem of the declining amphibian populations in
New Jersey and whether this decline is linked to the global trends.

As an amateur herpetologist, this is all very frustrating, though
it's pretty easy to see how New Jersey has killed off its amphibians...
destruction of habitat through (over)development and pollution of
habitat through the dumping of toxic chemicals into the environment.
--
Michael R. Hall            |"We have seen pictures [of Mars] where there are
hall@nvuxh.cc.bellcore.COM |canals, we believe, and water. If there is water,
rutgers!bellcore!nvuxh!hall|there is oxygen. If oxygen...we can breathe."-Quayle

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** Written  1:41 am  Mar 27, 1992 by mdewart in cdp:gl.library **

>From the Weekly World News, April 17, 1990:
-------------------------------------------

SPACE ALIENS STEALING OUR FROGS!
Webbed creatures vanishing from Earth by leaps and bounds
By John Stern, Correspondent

	A UFO researcher says space aliens are wiping out the world's frog
pupulation because they eat tadpoles and use the mature creatures for research!
	The decline of frogs is a worldwide phenomenon that has repeatedly
been blamed on pollution and the destruction of natural habitat.
	Walter Caine contends that the environmental explanation is all
hogwash.
	He further claims to have the evidence to prove that extraterrestrial
hunters alone are wiping frogs out.  In some areas populations have declined
as much as 90 percent, scientists report.
	"It's the only explanation that makes any sense," said Caine, who
founded the California-based research group, Extraterrestrial Today.
	"I have hundreds of reports from eyewitnesses who have seen extra-
terrestrials gathering frogs and tadpoles all over the world.
	"I can't vouch for the character and credibility of all these
witnesses but I know for a fact that most of them are rock solid.
	"Their independent descriptions of saucer-shaped UFOs and slender,
large-headed space aliens are uncannily similar.  And these people swear
they saw extraterrestrials stealing frogs and eating tadpoles."
	Washington sources refused to comment on Caine's theory and report
put conceded that American and other governments are investigating UFO
activity in regions where frogs grow and breed.
	Caine says that's evidence enough to show that world authorities
are aware of alien inerference in earth ecology.
	And he has called on them to take "immediate steps to end the
interference before the only frogs we see are in books."
	"There isn't a doubt in my mind that space aliens are eating our
tadpoles as a delicacy and experimenting with our frogs," said Caine.
	"This is a very serious situation.  They must be stopped before
it's too late!"

----------

VANISHING frogs are making headlines around the world below, and a top
UFO expert warns that space aliens are taking them for research - and
eating their young!

---

Frogs, toads vanishing
By Ellen Hale
Gannett News Service

	LOS ANGELES - From a virginal cloud forest in Costa Rica to the rich
farmland of Oregon's Willamette Valley, from rocky tidal pools in Lake
Superior to the outback of Australia, frogs, toads and salamanders are
disapperaing.

----------

Brought to you by:

Captain Devious!
o
+

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** Written  1:43 am  Mar 27, 1992 by mdewart in cdp:gl.library **

In article <981@tahoma.UUCP> jpg3196@tahoma.UUCP (James P. Galasyn) writes:

> I saw on CNN a couple weeks ago that the global population of frogs and
> toads is declining "drastically."  Anyone have more information?  Is the
> Eco-econocataclysm upon us?

There was a story on the subject on National Public Radio's "All Things
Considered" this past Sunday evening.  The report, about 10 minutes in
length, talked about a recent scientific conference on the subject - I
think it was held at the University of California at Berkeley.  They said
that there was probably no single reason which explained the phenomenon
of frog population declines across all species (though apparently there
has been a sudden dramatic decline which does cut across species lines).

However, scientists are fairly confident that in at least one case it has
to do with the acidity of water breaking down the egg membranes, resulting
in a much lower than normal rate of tadpole development.  They also said
that, in the case of a couple of species, they feared extinction had already
taken place, as no animals in the species had been sighted for a couple of
years.  One example they mentioned was that of whatever species it is where
the mama frog incubated the eggs in her stomach.  This loss is particularly
profound from a human standpoint (I suggest that all such losses are po-
tentially devastating in ecological terms, but here we're talking about
more immediate value), since this animal was very interesting for its
ability to neutralize stomach acids sufficiently to enable the little
phroglets to develop without threat from gastric processes in the mother,
which has potential value for humans suffering from problems of the
digestive tract.  Apparently the process was well-enough understood for
some medication to already have been developed using the information
gained in past years, but the report stressed that the loss was still
very great for science.

Here's an earlier article you may have missed:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: cap@nwfdc.uu.net (Chuck Paquette )
Newsgroups: sci.environment
Subject: Article on Vanishing Amphibians
Date: 14 Dec 89 05:50:35 GMT
Organization: National Wildlife Federation, Washington, DC

Taken from _The Washington Post_, p.1, Wednesday, 12/13/89
(First 6 paragraphs, copied without permission)
*****************************************************************
Frogs, Toads Vanishing Across Much of the World,
 'Environmental Degradation' May be To Blame, Scientists Say
by William Booth
--------------------------------------------------------------
     Population of frogs, toads and salamanders appear to be
declining in many places around the world, and scientists fear
the dramatic disappearance of the amphibians may be a sign of
widespread environmental degradation of some unknown kind.

        For several years, there have been rumors and scattered
reports that frogs and toads appear to be far less common than
they once were.  More recently, many field biologists have begun
documenting precipitous declines, sometimes measuring from 50
percent to 90 percent, and local extinctions in a variety of
settings, from tropical forests to temperate mountain lakes.

        "We are very concerned," said David Wake of the University
of California at Berkeley.  "There seems to be something going
on. Something we don't yet understand."

        The cause of the decline remains a mystery.  Some
researchers suspect acid rain.  But others believe the crashing
populations could be crashed by pesticides, viruses, hard winters
or dry summers.  In some locations, the frogs and other
amphibians may have been wiped out by introduced competitors such
as fish.  The animals may also be exploited for food or even by
scientists themselves, who collect specimens for research.

        Populations of frogs, toads, and salamanders often rise and
fall naturally.  But the scientists are concerned because the
animals in many locales do but appear to be rebounding.  They are
especially concerned because many of these local extinctions are
occurring in relatively pristine habitats such as national parks
and biological reserves.

        "Amphibians are disappearing and we're not sure why," said
Roy McDiarmid, a herpetologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Servive and the National Museum of Natural History.  "We have to
ask whether this is a general indication of environmental
degradation."
(article continues)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Comment:  Canaries in the coal mine.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Paquette, National Wildlife Federation, 1400 16th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036, USA, 202-797-6678,  Internet: cap@nwfdc.uu.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


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** Written  4:31 am  Mar 31, 1992 by rborstsc in cdp:gl.library **

Paul:
I'm a global lab teacher in Aiken, SC.  We are lucky to have an
ecology lab near us, the Savannah River Ecology lab.  Last summer
I was involved in research at the lab and I did research on reptiles,
lizards which are common in the South EAst.  I also had some contact
with the amphibian people.

We don't seem to have a problem in SC with amphibians.  Some species
are very abundant; however, we don't have acid precipitation. Our
calculations at the school give a neutral pH most of the time.  The
drift fences which are set up at Carolina bays have the buckets filled
with frogs most of the time.

Reptiles are another matter.  The sex differentiation is largely
temperature dependent and any change in temperature will throw the
population to excesses of males or females which will drastically
reduce subsequent populations.  We did notice a dramatic decrease in
the eastern fence lizard over the past few years.  I also have
heard that it's numbers are declining elsewhere in the east.  It is
partially arboreal and perhaps the cutting down of small trees for buildings
have reduced its habitat.

Rich Borst (rborstsc)


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** Written 12:08 pm  May  3, 1992 by gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us in cdp:gl.library **

Newsgroups: sci.environment,talk.environment,alt.save.the.earth
From: casspa@jacobs.cs.orst.edu (Paul Cass)
Subject: Frogs and amphibians
Message-Id: <1992May1.211654.16517@talon.ucs.orst.edu>
Organization: CS Dept. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.
Date: Fri, 1 May 1992 21:16:54 GMT

I am seeking bibliographic references on the worldwide decline of
frogs and amphibian populations and the possible connection with
ozone depletion.  If there are references citing other theories
on the cause of the decline, that would be very important.

Names of researchers in this subject would be particularly helpful.
A database search of all CD ROMS at our local university library
turned up no references.  Can anyone help?
Paul

--
                          * * * * * * *
"It is possible to join forces, to identify common goals, and to agree on
 common action." - U.N. World Commission on Development and Environment
		       casspa@jacobs.cs.orst.edu

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: sci.environment,talk.environment,alt.save.the.earth