The Boreal Chorus Frog: An Extraordinary Amphibian?

Over the past decade, a remarkable number of amphibians have come under the threat of extinction. A study conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature showed that (1) in 2011 the percentage of amphibian species identified as threatened was greater than the percentage of all other species combined. If this trend continues, it would mark the largest extinction event since the Pleistocene Era extinctions 10,000 years ago. Several factors contribute to the alarming decline in amphibian (2) species; the destruction of habitat, introduction of invasive species, (3) contaminating the environment, and rise of infectious diseases.

One amphibian species, though, remains curiously robust. Named for its distinctive breeding call, (4) other species have been negatively impacted by factors that do not seem to affect the boreal chorus frog. For example, one of the most serious threats to amphibians is chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the chytrid fungus. (5) Although this fungus is widespread in the United States, boreal chorus frog populations in Colorado have high survival rates and appear to not be seriously affected by the disease. (6) Subsequently, classifying a particular species as robust can be somewhat difficult.

[1] Without this longitudinal data, the natural variability in amphibian reproduction and life histories can mask declines. [2] In addition, for many species, only particular age classes or life stages are amenable (7) with census, making it difficult to know the true extent of a species’ population. [3] The biggest challenge to classifying amphibians such as the boreal chorus frog lies in a lack of longitudinal data—data collected over an extended period of time. [4] Thus, the boreal chorus frog may simply be in a short robust period and may prove to be just as susceptible to the threats facing other amphibians. (8)  

What has been made clear from (9) researcher’s data, and what comprises the key issue in studying amphibians, is the aforementioned number of threatened species. Amphibians play important roles in ecosystems, human health, and commerce. They have (10) stuck around for the past 350 million years, surviving many changes that caused other organisms to become extinct. (11) The deterioration of this historically resilient group highlights the importance of the recent studies on threatened amphibians. Ultimately, the boreal chorus frog may prove to be a red herring in a sea of data that points to the need to examine the environmental factors that have caused the current decline in the overall amphibian population.