By Smitha Peter
Frogs are often treated as environmental indicators because of their extreme sensitivity to changes in the ecosystem. According to the American Museum of Natural History website, scientists have recorded a major decline in the frog population around the world during the last fifty years as a result of habitat destruction, chemical pollution and climate changes.
Image credit: LiquidGhoul
A recent study on the timing of frogs spawning in the UK indicates that the future of these delicate creatures is at risk in the changing climate as they are genetically adapted to the local climatic conditions. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used more than 50,000 records to find out how frogs are responding to variation in temperature across different parts of the UK.
During warmer years, frogs spawn in early spring to maximise the survival chance of offspring with a longer period for their development. The new study revealed that frogs in the warmer South West region spawn up to seven days earlier than those in the colder Northern region of UK. This shows that they are well adapted to their local environment.
However, this makes them more vulnerable to the temperature changes caused by global warming. It has been predicted that the temperature will raise by up to 1.7C in North East and 3 C in South West between 2050 and 2070. As a result, the frogs in the Southern part need to spawn about 30 days earlier, which is very unlikely to happen in this short time period. Otherwise they should move to further North to find favourable conditions. It is impossible for most of the frog population in the South as the English Channel acts as a a total barrier to any Continental migration.
According to the Woodland Trust, the resource for records utilised in the study, a large number of the UK’s wildlife species may face similar challenges.