Amphibians

Amphibians
AMPHIBIAN=GREEK FOR
AMPHIBIOS WHICH MEANS
DOUBLE LIFE
ECTOTHERMIC VERTEBRATES
HIBERNATE OR ESTIVATE
DEPENDING ON CLIMATE

Three Orders of Amphibia

Anura-frogs and toads

Urodela-salamanders and newts
Elongated bodies and tails
Young have gills-some adults retain them
Apoda-caecilians
Tropical, burrowing amphibians
Legless, wormlike

4 Characteristics of Amphibians
Legs-important evolution for living on
land. caecilians have lost their legs as
they adapted to burrowing existence
Lungs-larvae have gills most adults
breath with a pair of lungs with the
exception of lungless salamanders
Partially divided heart-atrium is divided,
but the ventricle is not.
Cutaneous respiration -most supplement
oxygen uptake by respiring through skin

Lungs
Lungs are internal -allows exchange of
oxygen and carbon dioxide between
blood and air
Greater the surface area the greater the
amount of oxygen can be absorbed
Lungs are not as efficient as gills, but
there is more oxygen in air than in water
so lungs do not have to be as efficient

Double Loop
Circulation

Due to moving to land and requiring

more oxygen for their muscles,
amphibians developed a double loop in
their circulatory system
Amphibians have pulmonary veins that
deliver oxygen rich blood back to the
heart and then to the remainder of the
body

Double Loop Circulation

Amphibian Heart
Sinus venosus delivers blood to the right
atrium
Septum separates the amphibian ATRIUM
into right and left halves
Septum prevents the mixing of oxygen poor
and oxygen rich blood
Both types of blood are dumped into the
ventricle
Conus arteriosus has a spiral valve that helps
to keep the blood somewhat separate

Amphibian Reproduction
Require water because eggs lack
shells to prevent water loss
External Fertilization-female
releases eggs and male fertilizes
externally-called amplexus
Complete metamorphosis-egg,
tadpole, young frog, adult frog

Vs.
Frogs have:

cold blood
smooth or slimy skin

Toads have:

cold blood
warty and dry skin

Anuran
Diversity

Frogs and Toads

92 species
in USA

3,300 species
in the world

Frogs and Toads

Amphibian Habitats
forests
grasslands
lakes, ponds, marshes

rivers and streams

Why We Care
1. Amphibians are a part of the
planets bio-diversity.

2. Amphibians
interact in
interesting ways
with each other and
the environment,
i.e. both prey and
predators

Why We Care
3. Amphibians provide benefits to
humans

i.e. Gastric Brooding Frog of Australia

might have provided answers for people
suffering from gastric ulcers

(Case of the Vanishing Frogs, T. Halliday and W. R. Heyer).

4. Frogs As Bio-indicators

1) double life--amphibious
2) permeable skin
3) absorb and concentrate toxins-biomagnification

4. Frogs As Bio-indicators

Biomagnification: a process in which retained

substances become more concentrated
with each link in the food chain

Malformed Amphibians

External Malformations

extra or missing limbs

branching limbs
spikes or protuberances
missing eyes
abnormal webbing

Internal Malformations
reproductive
digestive
urinary

Malformed Frog Pictures

Dr. David Hoppe, University of Minnesota-Morris

Dr. David Hoppe, University of Minnesota-Morris

Dr. David Hoppe, University of Minnesota-Morris

Dr. David Hoppe, University of Minnesota-Morris

Causes of Malformations

genetic origins
parasite disruption of limb formation
chemical contamination
viruses
ultraviolet radiation
physical trauma (predation,
people)

Trematode (flatworm) cysts have been

demonstrated to cause problems in limb bud
development in tadpoles

Dr. Stanley K. Sessions, Hartwick College

Dr. Stanley K. Sessions, Hartwick College

Possible Chemical Contaminants

Agrochemicals
heavy metals
acid rain
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Types of Agrochemicals
herbicides
Maneb-fungicide
pesticides
propylthiourea
fertilizers

Dr. Stanley K. Sessions,

Hartwick College

Types of Agrochemicals
applications of the
herbicide atrazine
have led to egg
mortality and
tadpole deformities
(Hazelwood 1970)
Dr. Stanley K. Sessions,
Hartwick College

Correlations to Human
Health Concerns
high nitrate levels (from fertilizers) in human
drinking water and frog breeding ponds are
hazardous
human birth defects result from pesticide
application
UV radiation results in blindness and skin
cancer in humans and other animals; DNA
damage in developing frog eggs

Where have all the frogs gone?

Global Amphibian Decline

a concern during the past decade

frog declines widespread and welldocumented
possible causes include habitat
destruction, increased UV radiation,
and chemical contamination

Global Population Declines

Loss of habitat
from filling in wetlands to create
more farmland for crops, and to
build more houses and roads

(Case of the Vanishing Frogs, T. Halliday and W. R. Heyer).

Global Population Declines

Increasing ultraviolet radiation

Pollution by chemicals
Acid rain
Pathogens
Parasites
Introduction of non-native species

Global Population Declines

Amphibian declines occurring in
locations where habitats relatively
undisturbed.

Australia:
Gastric Brooding Frog
last seen in wild in
1980s

Global Population Declines

Monteverde, Costa Rica:
Golden Toad
last seen 1988

Global Population Declines

Other places experiencing declines include:
Puerto Rico
Ecuador
Venezuela
Brazil
U.S. Rocky Mountains
Cascade Mountain Range in Washington,
Oregon, and California