Let's talk frog...

You may be wondering why I want to spend hours of my life trudging through mud and sitting in a lab just to find out if a certain tiny non-living entity (FV3) can be found in frogs in Illinois... Well, besides considering this to be fun, there exist a countless amount of reasons why protecting wild populations of frogs, toads, and other amphibians is extremely important. These reasons may not affect your daily life in the near future, but if you have ever marveled at the beauty of the world and the perfection that exists in natural, unspoiled wild areas, then you'll understand.

                                 Red-eyed tree frog - Photo by Christian Ziegler

Frogs are designed perfectly to suit their wet and dry environment. Unlike other amphibians, such as salamanders, they lack a tail and have strong hind legs for jumping while on land and swimming in the water. Their highly permeable skin with superficial blood vessels allows them to absorb oxygen without having to breathe underwater. While on land, they inhale air through their nostrils into their lungs similar to other terrestrial animals. Bodies of water, however, are crucial for all frog species. This is where most lay eggs and spend the first part of their lives as tadpoles before metamorphosing into adults.

                               Wallace's flying frog - Photo by Tim Laman

But why are frogs so important to the health of the environment? Being a predator and prey, they are an indispensable part of the food web which could crumble without them, having dire effects on animals which eat them. This trend could continue throughout the ecosystem and affect species not even directly related to the frogs... and potentially humans. Without frogs, insect populations could grow uncontrollably as well as the diseases they spread such as West Nile virus and malaria.

                                 Frogs are important in the food chain.
                                       Photo by Jeremy Woodhouse

                                Frogs are important in the food chain.
                                         Photo by Tyrone Hayes

                                 Frogs are important in the food chain. 

                                         Photo by Tyrone Hayes

Having permeable skin and a life cycle which requires 2 types of environments make frogs amazingly unique but also highly susceptible to small changes in the environment. With an ever-changing world quickly becoming more urban, frog habitats are becoming smaller and more polluted. Due to the nature of their skin, frogs are very vulnerable to toxins and diseases and are considered a bioindicator. The overwhelming decrease in amphibian populations in the last several decades shows that the environment is in a crisis and it is up to us  to help these critters out.

'Pinocchio frog' discovered in 2010

Photo by Tim Laman

**Frog fun fact: Unlike mammals, frogs have a 3-chambered heart. You would think that the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood gets mixed in the single ventricle, but due to the perfectly timed contractions of the atria, most of the blood stays separate making this quite an efficient system.