Hamline University Graduate School St' Paul, Minnesota

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Hamline University Graduate SchoolSt. Paul,
Minnesota
The Frog Malformities Issue How Can My Students
Help?
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Hamline University Graduate SchoolSt. Paul,
Minnesota
http//cgee.hamline.edu/frogs
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Scientists in MN and elsewhere had found
malformed frogs in the early 1990s. Then the
issue hit the national media in 1995.
Why? Students in Henderson, MN, found hundreds of
malformed frogs at a site. A Thousand Friends
of Frogs was formed in the wake of this media
coverage

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What are we being told by Amphibian (frog and
toad) malformities Amphibian populations locally
and globally But first

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Vs.
Frogs have
Toads have

• cold blood cold blood
• smooth or slimy skin warty and dry
  skin
• strong, long legs and stubby bodies
  with short webbed hind feet
  hind legs
• two bulging eyes parotid glands
  behind eyes
• lay eggs in clusters lay eggs in
  long chains
• a group of frogs is called a group of
  toads is called
• an ARMY of frogs a KNOT
  of toads

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Anuran Diversity
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Frogs and Toads

• 14 species in MN

92 species in USA
3,300 species in the world
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MN Frogs and Toads
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Amphibian Habitats
forests
grasslands
lakes, ponds, marshes
rivers and streams
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Why We Care

• Amphibians are a part of the planets
  bio-diversity.

2. Amphibians interact in interesting ways with
each other and the environment, i.e. both prey
and predators
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Why We Care
3. Amphibians provide benefits to humans
i.e. Gastric Brooding Frog of Australia might
have provided answers for people suffering from
gastric ulcers
(Case of the Vanishing Frogs, T. Halliday and W.
R. Heyer).
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4. Frogs As Bio-indicators

• 1) double life--amphibious
• 2) permeable skin
• 3) absorb and concentrate toxins--biomagnification

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4. Frogs As Bio-indicators

• Biomagnification a process in which retained
  substances become more concentrated with each
  link in the food chain

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Malformed Amphibians
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External Malformations

• extra or missing limbs
• branching limbs
• spikes or protuberances
• missing eyes
• abnormal webbing

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Internal Malformations

• reproductive
• digestive
• urinary

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Malformed Frog Pictures
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Dr. David Hoppe, University of Minnesota-Morris
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Dr. David Hoppe, University of Minnesota-Morris
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Dr. David Hoppe, University of Minnesota-Morris
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Dr. David Hoppe, University of Minnesota-Morris
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Causes of Malformations

• genetic origins
• parasite disruption of limb formation
• chemical contamination
• viruses
• ultraviolet radiation
• physical trauma (predation,
• people)

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Trematode (flatworm) cysts have been demonstrated
to cause problems in limb bud development in
tadpoles
Dr. Stanley K. Sessions, Hartwick College
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Dr. Stanley K. Sessions, Hartwick College
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Possible Chemical Contaminants

• agrochemicals
• heavy metals
• acid rain
• chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

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Types of Agrochemicals

• herbicides
• Maneb-fungicide
• pesticides
• propylthiourea
• fertilizers

Dr. Stanley K. Sessions, Hartwick College
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Types of Agrochemicals

• applications of the herbicide atrazine have led
  to egg mortality and tadpole deformities
  (Hazelwood 1970)

Dr. Stanley K. Sessions, Hartwick College
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Correlations to Human Health Concerns

• high nitrate levels (from fertilizers) in human
  drinking water and frog breeding ponds are
  hazardous
• human birth defects result from pesticide
  application
• UV radiation results in blindness and skin cancer
  in humans and other animals DNA damage in
  developing frog eggs

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• Joan Chadde
• Amphibian Malformation Survey of the Western
  Upper Peninsula Using Middle/High School Classes

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Where have all the frogs gone? Global Amphibian
Decline

• a concern during the past decade
• frog declines widespread and well-documented
• possible causes include habitat destruction,
  increased UV radiation, and chemical
  contamination

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Global Population Declines

• Loss of habitat
• from filling in wetlands to create more
  farmland for crops, and to build more houses and
  roads

(Case of the Vanishing Frogs, T. Halliday and W.
R. Heyer).
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Global Population Declines

• Increasing ultraviolet radiation
• Pollution by chemicals
• Acid rain
• Pathogens
• Parasites
• Introduction of non-native species

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Global Population Declines

• Amphibian declines occurring in
• locations where habitats relatively
• undisturbed.
  

Australia Gastric Brooding Frog last seen in
wild in 1980s
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Global Population Declines

• Monteverde, Costa Rica
• Golden Toad
• last seen 1988

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Global Population Declines

• Other places experiencing declines include
• Puerto Rico
• Ecuador
• Venezuela
• Brazil
• U.S. Rocky Mountains
• Cascade Mountain Range in Washington,
  
• Oregon, and California

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Stakeholders/Interest Groups
Scientists Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency Environmental Protection
Agency Individual scientists promoting
different hypotheses Industry and
Agriculture Policy-Makers Citizens (Adults and
students)
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What You and Your Students Can Do to Help!
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Care Adopt Look Listen
Answer the
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Malformity and Calling Surveys
Various types of surveys depending on your
objectives Malformity surveys deal specifically
with malformities in amphibians Calling surveys
need to know the calls of anurans terrestrial
salamander monitoring aquatic surveys
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Malformity and Calling Surveys
A Thousand Friends of Frogs has two
surveys Malformity and Calling
http//cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/students/involved
.html
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Malformity and Calling Surveys
Malformity survey Protocols for collecting and
reporting data. Data collected and transferred
to scientists Results on web site http//cgee.haml
ine.edu/frogs/science/datasht.html Calling
survey Minnesota Frog Watch Over 100 volunteers
surveying in the state Working with MN Dept.
Natural Resources http//cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/sc
ience/wach2000.html
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Malformity and Calling Surveys
North American Reporting Center for Amphibian
Malformities (NARCAM) http//www.npwrc.usgs.go
v/narcam Report data on the web
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Malformity and Calling Surveys
North American Amphibian Monitoring Project
(NAAMP) http//www.im.nbs.gov/amphibs.html Pr
otocols for reporting data State coordinators
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Malformity and Calling Surveys
What you need to know to survey? Depends on type
of survey conducted ID of frogs, toads and
salamanderscolor, shape, etc. Calls of frogs
and toads Lets learn a few calls!! Bullfrog Sprin
g Peepers
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Malformity and Calling Surveys
Kristin Schuster Science Teacher Houghton Middle
School Michigan
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Student Activities
Other student activities Student Reports on
Project Web Site Student Poetry Student
Writing Student Art
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Celebrating amphibians
Australia
Finland
Scotland
Minnesota
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Helping Our Planet Earth (H.O.P.E.) Frogs

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Resources
A Thousand Friends of Frogs http//cgee.hamline.ed
u/frogs FrogWeb http//frogweb.gov Audiotapes and
Book