Pacific Tree Frog Research Paper

However, these effects can vary greatly, with some species being affected greatly, and others not at all. For example, UV-B radiation can cause the skin of Gray Tree frogs to darken, and cause them to swim less. For others, like the Pacific Tree frog, this radiation can reduce larval survival and increase abnormalities in behavior and development. Other common effects include increased embryo mortality and behavioral avoidance. Interestingly, different populations of amphibian species can be differently affected by UV-B radiation as well, possibly because certain regions have more UV-B radiation than others (Blaustein). Regardless, the fact that UV-B radiation has been increasing in our atmosphere is alarming. While all of these factors are
Frogs and other amphibians are important for several reasons. One reason is that they are an integral part of the food chain, as they serve as both predator and prey (What Do Frogs). Without them, the ecosystems they live in would suffer. For example, frogs feed on pests, such as mice or insects, which infest human homes and consume crops. Without frogs and toads to feed on them, the populations of such pests would grow rapidly. Many of their prey even spread diseases, like mosquitos which spread malaria, so frogs play a direct role in keeping humans healthy. Tadpoles, juvenile frogs and toads, clean waterways by feeding on algae, which cuts down on costs that would otherwise be needed for water filtration (Why We Must). Additionally, frogs also serve as prey for a variety of organisms, from predatory birds, fish, and snakes, to larger insects, other frogs, humans, and more. If frogs die out, all of their predators would have to cope with a lack of food sources as well (What Do Frogs). Furthermore, because amphibians live in both water and land, they play key roles in transferring nutrients between the two. Without them, all organisms in their environments would suffer. Food webs such as this are simply too interconnected for the loss of one creature not to affect the rest, especially not creatures as vital as amphibians (Amphibian
Amphibians can secrete numerous different chemicals from their skin, and many of these have been used in pharmaceuticals (Kriger, Starkey). For example, frogs from the subfamily Phyllomedusinae secrete a group of antimicrobial peptides, called medusins, from their skin, which do not harm blood cells like other chemicals do (Xi et al. 1). Another incredible frog species is the phantasmal poison dart frog, which releases a toxin called epibatidine, a painkiller 200 times more potent than any that had been discovered before it. While epibatidine itself is too toxic to be used as a painkiller, scientists have been researching ways to alter the compound into safer chemicals (Epibatidine). Other discoveries include bradykinin, released from fire-bellied toads (Why We Must), which can reduce high blood pressure, and caerin, from whites tree frogs, which can prevent the transmission of HIV (Amphibians As Indicators). In fact, according Dr. Kerry Kriger and Michael Starkey, chair of the SAVE THE FROGS! advisory committee, “Approximately 10 percent of Nobel Prizes in Physiology and Medicine have been awarded to scientists whose research depended on amphibians,” (Frog Extinctions). However, as more and more species of frogs disappear, so too will the discoveries that come with them. For instance, the Northern Gastric Brooding frog, which can shut down the gastric