(Note to self: DO not get on the opposite side of a scientific discussion with Wevel)
Obviously anything that happens to a frog happens in it’s environment. I should have clarified that I meant environmentalist concerns such as pollution, acid rain, Dumping, noise, construction, fertilizer, etcetera.
If a purely natural disease wipes out all the frogs then obviously that occured within their environment. But it’s not what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.
I use my pond s an example. Kind of a control group that has had no discernable environmental pressure place on it, yet is suffering a severe and sudden frog decline.
Parasites, seem most likely to me now.
Little Nemo:
What species are you referring to? How does their disappearance prove the environment isn’t ok.
As I’ve mentioned, my pond is only an example of a fairly pristine environment without any pressures from man, or any obvious changes, that is nonetheless losing frogs.
The fish, dragonflies, snakes, turtles and fowl which inhabit the pond seem to be doing very well.
You said:
“So other than the disappearance of several entire species the environment is doing okay?”
People DO kill a lot of frogs, though. Kids especially. While I don’t think this could account for the worldwide problem, Scylla, it might account for your pond. I’m serious, here. I used to teach a stupid college rhetoric course, and once I got a “values” paper from this bozo who wrote about how he and his friends liked to go down to ponds at night and plunk frogs with their air rifles. They had a little contest about it. The kid was from Southern PA, and he made it sound like it was something of a pastime in the area.
In case your wondering, the paper went on to argue that now that he’s older, he regrets it. So we should ban deer hunting. (No, I couldn’t follow the logic either.)
He got a D minus.
Well, although the local environment may seem OK at your pond, I’d be hard pressed to think that there is no contamination in the rains anywhere in Pennsylvania, with prevailing winds off the (historical) industrial belt. Need not be acid rain, but increases in ozone, or a mineral… consider the damage to a great number of tree species throughout the Appalachian trail, at a variety of altitudes and different ranges from population centers.
Typically involves a combination of parasites feeding off weakened trees. The Penguin library series has several layperson’s, properly researched and annotated texts.