LAT: A New Alarm Sounds for Amphibians

[DeepModem Mom]

A New Alarm Sounds for Amphibians
Study, called a 'realistic picture,' finds a mix of low-level pesticides like those found on farms may play a role in species' endangerment.

By Marla Cone, Times Staff Writer


Frogs exposed to a mix of pesticides at extremely low concentrations like those widely found around farms suffer deadly infections, suggesting that the chemicals could be a major culprit in the global disappearance of amphibians, UC Berkeley scientists reported Tuesday.

When tadpoles were exposed in laboratory experiments to each pesticide individually, 4% died before they turned into frogs. But when atrazine and eight other pesticides were mixed to replicate a Nebraska cornfield, 35% died.

The frogs developed an array of health problems, including meningitis, because the chemicals suppressed their immune systems. They also took longer to complete the transformation from tadpole to frog, which reduces their chances of survival.

At least one-third of amphibians worldwide, or 1,856 of the known species of frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians, are in danger of extinction, according to an international group of conservation biologists.

A variety of factors are thought to be involved, including climate change, ultraviolet radiation, disease, parasites and habitat destruction....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-frogs25jan25,0,326876.story?coll=la-home-nation

[Lorien]

1. Climate change is cited by most peer reviewed scientific journals

for the disappearance of the world's amphibians; they are the canaries in the coal mine, and most are ignoring the danger.

Interesting that the Utne reader recently posted a statistic that said of 928 peer reviewed science journal articles written since 1993 on global warming, NONE cast doubt that human activity was to blame. But in 3,543 articles on global climate change since 1988 by the mainstream media (the LAT included) 53% of those articles cast doubt that humans activity contributes to global warming. The MSM is working for someone-and it ain't us!

[loudsue]

2. Frogs eat mosquitos.

Frogs systems are actually very sensitive, and they are reacting to the bush pollution party that he creates everywhere he goes. They're dying off, and in the meantime, West Nile and other mosquito-borne diseases can rise, because there aren't enough frogs to lend balance to an over-population of mosquitos.

Everything is connected: kill the critters in the wild, you kill the citizens in the towns & cities.

:kick:

[DeepModem Mom]

3. I hadn't made that mosquito connection -- scary. nt

[pitohui]

4. it's a pretty wild connection and not really correct

back in the 70s when we had zillions of gulf coast toads at every step of the yard after dark we still had mosquitoes and we still had an epidemic of st. louis encephalitis that killed, iirc, 2000 people in south and the midwest, including one of my friends -- way more than its relative, west nile has killed here

i conclude from personal experience and medical history that if we were wall-to-wall frogs, we'd still have mosquitoes and we'd still have encephalitis and mosquito-borne death

i prefer the argument of the rivet-poppers (removing random links in the ecology tends to have unpredictable effects) or the argument from aesthetics (the world is more beautiful w. frogs than w.out them)

but you are not going to convince anyone who has lived a relatively long life outdoors that frogs have any serious impact on mosquito populations

i rather think it's the reverse, where we are doing all this spraying to attack mosquitoes, we are seeing the frogs, whip-poor-wills, etc. disappear because they are being poisoned as a sideline

[callous taoboy]

5. What about weed killer?

The frickin' idiot across the street soaks this patch of dirt running along his curb with weed killer, then the rain washes it through the pipe under the street into my yard. I used to see 2 or 3 leopard frogs every time I'd go over by the pipe, but I haven't seen a frog or a toad one since that ignorant jerk started doing this.

[KT2000]

6. Pesticides are weedkillers

Pesticides is the word used in a gneneric way to describe weedkillers, pesticides and fungicides.

My neighbor is like yours except he killed hundreds of tree frogs and we are now inundated with mosquitoes He has declared himself ultra right wing and thinks that caution with pesticides is a liberal plot.

[pitohui]

7. no weedkillers are herbicides

pesticides are to kill members of the animal kingdom, mostly insect pests

weedkillers are herbicides, their aim is to kill plant life

i don't know whether your neighbor used herbicide, pesticide, or both

to a certain degree it's nitpicking, round-up/rodeo supposedly can be safely used but even that product has fall-out for water life and most other herbicides are not something i'm willing to use on my property, some form of herbicide however is necessary to return land to something like its natural state, otherwise w.out strategic use of herbicide, the land is all chinese tallow and other invasives and no chance of native forms thriving

[callous taoboy]

9. Knowing him he probably has a reserve store of DDT:

So the little stream that flows under the street and through my entire property ends up in a large stock pond on the property behind me. When I first moved in 5 years ago, before the neighbor started spraying everything natural, the chorus of frogs was amazing. Last summer, after three years of spraying, it was much more quiet at the stock pond.

[KT2000]

12. No really -

I know that weedkillers are herbicides, but the word pesticide is often used to include herbicides and fungicides too.

The scary thing is that all of the "cides" kill by disrupting certain systems in the subject - hormonal, neurological etc. Humans share such systems with plants, animals and fungi.

For your safety, please do not believe that Roundup is safe. Exposure is linked to increased risk of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, miscarriages, attention deficit disorder, reduction in the production of sex hormones, it kills frogs and tadpoles. Monsantos patent has expired so competitors are coming up with new formulations - yuk!

Be careful - wear protection.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. There is something we can do about this...

Buy organic.

I know it's not a total solution; but it's a start...and a step in the right direction.

[anitar1]

10. I read about this at least 4 years ago. n/t

[1956]

11. Yeah, I read something, too.

It was called "The decline of the amphibian". Definitely had me noticing how few frogs are around. In the suburbs in the 60's in Texas, after a good rain shower, it seemed to be raining baby frogs. They seemed to bounce in the rain. I live way out in the country in N. Virginia, and I rarely see a toad,rarely. How weird is that?