Current:Home > MyScientists determine the cause behind high rates of amphibian declines -LegacyCapital
Scientists determine the cause behind high rates of amphibian declines
View
Date:2025-04-14 09:20:21
A major class of vertebrate species is experiencing widespread population declines due to climate change, according to new research.
Amphibians, the most threatened class of vertebrates, are deteriorating globally, with about 40% of more than 8,000 amphibian species studied categorized as threatened -- a greater percentage than threatened mammals, reptiles or birds, a paper published in Nature on Wednesday suggests.
Habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, timber and plant harvesting and infrastructure development is the most common threat, affecting about 93% of threatened amphibian species, Jennifer Luedtke, manager of species partnerships for conservation nonprofit Re:wild and the global coordinator for the Amphibian Red List Authority for the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Amphibian Specialist Group, told reporters during a news conference.
But global warming in recent decades is likely the culprit for the increased declines, the researchers said. Since 2004, when the first Global Amphibian Assessment was completed by the IUCN, the primary driver of the declines has shifted from disease to climate change, according to the paper.
MORE: Hundreds of new species discovered in this remote part of the world, researcher say
Between 2004 and 2022, the effects of climate change were responsible for 39% of amphibian species moving closer to extinction, compared to just 1% in the two decades prior, Kelsey Neam, species priorities and metrics coordinator at Re:wild and program officer for the Red List Authority of the IUCN's Amphibians Assessment Group, told reporters.
Amphibians are particularly sensitive to changes in their environment, partly because they breathe through their skin, Neam said.
Effects of climate change -- like sea level rise, wildfires, changes in moisture and temperature and increasing frequency -- and intensity of extreme weather events -- such as storms, floods and drought -- can result in the loss of important breeding sites for amphibians, which can then lead to increased mortality, Neam said.
MORE: Loss of sea ice putting migrating beluga whales in danger
Amphibians are often forced to adapt or move elsewhere, but the changes are often occurring too quickly for them to adapt, and habitat fragmentation is creating barriers that make migration increasingly challenging, Neam said.
"Habitat protection alone won't be sufficient as a risk reduction measure," Luedtke said. "We really need to be promoting the recovery of amphibians by mitigating the threats of disease and climate change through effective actions."
Salamanders and newts were found to be the most heavily affected species, according to the paper.
The greatest concentrations of threatened species were found in the Caribbean islands, Mesoamerica, the tropical Andes in South America, the mountains and forests of western Cameroon and eastern Nigeria in Africa, Madagascar, the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka.
MORE: More interactions between humans and polar bears are likely as sea ice melts due to climate change, scientists say
Documented amphibian extinctions also continue to increase, the study found. At least 37 species have been lost since 1980, the most recent being two frog species, Atelopus chiriquiensis and Taudactylus acutirostris.
However, not all the paper's findings were bad news, the researchers said.
Since 1980, the extinction risk for 63 species of amphibians has been reduced due to conservation intervention, "proving that conservation works," Luedtke said.
MORE: Polar bear inbreeding and bird 'divorces': Weird ways climate change is affecting animal species
Urgent scaled-up investment and policy responses will be needed to support the survival and recovery of amphibians, the researchers said.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- The seven biggest college football quarterback competitions include Michigan, Ohio State
- More students gain eligibility for free school meals under expanded US program
- Searchers find body believed to be that of a woman swept into ocean from popular Washington beach
- Police chief went straight to FBI after Baton Rouge 'brave cave' allegations: Source
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- 61-year-old woman falls to death off 150-foot cliff at Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina
- Kerry Washington Details Decision to Have an Abortion in Her 20s
- Pioneering Black portraitist Barkley L. Hendricks is first artist of color to get solo show at Frick
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- State trooper indicted, accused of 'brutally beating' 15-year-old who played ding dong ditch prank
Ranking
- Plunge Into These Olympic Artistic Swimmers’ Hair and Makeup Secrets
- Supreme Court allows drawing of new Alabama congressional map to proceed, rejecting state’s plea
- Florida to seek death penalty against man accused of murdering Lyft driver
- How Ariana Grande's Inner Circle Feels About Ethan Slater Romance
- Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
- Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers as he built real estate empire
- Lack of parking for semi-trucks can have fatal consequences
- Barry Manilow just broke Elvis's Las Vegas record
Recommendation
Tony Hawk drops in on Paris skateboarding and pushes for more styles of sport in LA 2028
New York's right-to-shelter policy faces scrutiny amid migrant crisis
Blinken: U.S. expects accountability from India after Canada accuses it of being involved in death of Sikh activist
A Nobel prize-winning immigrant's view on American inequality
3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger
North Carolina splits insurance commissioner’s job from state fire marshal’s responsibilities
Car crashes into Amish horse-drawn buggy in Minnesota, killing 2 people and the horse
Musk’s X is the biggest purveyor of disinformation, EU official says