SGER: A Pre-Extirpation Study of the Role of Stream-Dwelling Frogs

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract 00-01615 Pringle SGER: A pre-extirpation study of the role of stream-dwelling frogs Scientists have documented that ~50% of the total frog population has disappeared from three upland sites in Costa Rica and Panama, and that extirpated species are comprised almost exclusively of stream-dwelling frogs. Evidence indicates a north-to-south 'wave of extinction' typical of disease epidemics. There is unanimous agreement among scientists that stream-dwelling frog populations in western Panama are in imminent danger of extirpation. Loss of frog populations is expected to affect both terrestrial and aquatic environments, with impacts on food webs and biogeochemical cycles. We presently have little quantitative knowledge about the roles of stream-dwelling frogs in these ecosystems. The investigators in this project will assess the roles of stream-dwelling frogs in Panama at sites which are expected to be dramatically altered within the upcoming years by the extirpation of frog populations.