amphibian

Question 1

importance of amphibians

Answer 1

-key indicators of changing environmental conditions
-other animals rely on them for food
-larval amphibians eat algae, helping clean lake water
-amphibians eat mosquitoes and other insect pests
-skin chemicals have been used in medicine to combat drug-resistant bacteria, cardiac problems, and HIV

Question 2

what are the three main threats to amphibian populations?

Answer 2

-habitat loss
-pollution
-disease (chytrid fungus)

Question 3

how does habitat loss affect amphibians?

Answer 3

-modifications and fragmentation
-amphibians rely on both aquatic and terrestrial environments.
-patch isolation can lead to inbreeding and genetic drift

Question 4

how does pollution affect amphibians?

Answer 4

pesticides and herbicides run off from agricultural systems and are absorbed through the skin or into the embryo
-many act-like hormones leading to problems with growth and reproduction-mutations

Question 5

how does disease affect amphibians

Answer 5

-flukes can cause malformities and global warming increases parasites.

Question 6

chytrid fungus

Answer 6

-aquatic fungus with a single flagellum
-inked to many amphibian extinctions
-production: zoospores invade frog skin and form new zoospores and cysts. mature zoospores are released from cyst into environment

Question 7

why is frog integument important?

Answer 7

protects skin, drinks water and essential ions, and breathe oxygen through it (direct diffusion), some have poison glands