Salamanders may soon become extinct due to global warming
February 10th, 2009 - 2:25 pm ICT by ANI
Washington, Feb 10 (ANI): A new study has suggested that due to global warming, salamanders may soon become extinct, with a sharp decline in the number of species worldwide.
According to a report in National Geographic News, researchers have said that two common species surveyed in the 1970s in cloud forests of southern Mexico and Guatemala are extinct, and several others have plummeted in number.
The tiny amphibians seem to be on the same downward spiral as their frog cousins, which have been mysteriously declining for years.
Scientists have identified chytrid, a fast-killing fungus that may spread in waves, as responsible for wiping out frogs around the world.
But, among the Central American salamanders, theres no way we can attribute the declines weve found to chytrid, said study author David Wake, a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley. Instead, Wake said that global warming makes perfect sense.
In the 1970s, Wake spent several years researching lungless salamanders in the San Marcos region of western Guatemala, one of the most diverse and well-studied salamander communities in the American tropics.
Between 2005 and 2007, he and colleagues returned to that region and previous study sites in Mexico to survey salamanders and compare their results to the historical data.
Their data-collecting strategy remained the same: Spot as many salamanders as possible in a standard amount of time.
The results shocked Wake.
Cold facts written on a piece of paper dont convey the impact on my psyche when I went there, he said. Species that could be seen 10 to 15 times an hour in the 1970s were completely gone.
These species lived in forests at mid-elevations, up to 2,800 feet (853 meters) a zone where global warming is most intense, Wake said.
Seven out of 62 salamanders tested showed signs of chytrid fungus, which is not enough direct evidence to link the fungus to the drop in numbers, said the authors.
As for saving the elusive creatures, there are few solutions, said Wake. But, its clear that locking up nature in reserves is not going to work.
According to Wake, climate change and chytrid fungus dont respect borders. We need to promote activities that reduce the impact of climate change, he said. (ANI)
- Search on for 'lost amphibians' before they go extinct - Aug 09, 2010
- Biologists rediscover a nearly extinct frog - Jul 29, 2009
- El Nino killed Costa Rican toad, not global warming - Mar 02, 2010
- Global warming may not be causing massive decline of amphibians - Nov 13, 2008
- Giant "lungless" worm found living on land with no legs - Nov 19, 2009
- 10 species disappear from Mexican forests - Apr 21, 2011
- 30 new species of frog discovered in coastal rainforests of western Ecuador - Jan 16, 2010
- New species of lungless salamander found in Appalachian foothills of the US - Jul 09, 2009
- Warming oceans killing seaweed - Oct 28, 2011
- Plants moved downhill, not up, in warming world: Study - Jan 21, 2011
- Toads living on mountains at higher risk of dying from fungal infection - Jan 25, 2010
- World's lizards disappearing due to rise in global temperatures - May 14, 2010
- Is Earth already on the brink of 6th mass extinction? - Mar 03, 2011
- Polar bears 'can be saved from extinction by emission cuts' - Dec 16, 2010
- Extreme weather threatens rich ecosystems - Apr 01, 2012
Tags: american tropics, amphibians, biologist, cloud forests, cold facts, direct evidence, downward spiral, elevations, fungus, global warming, national geographic news, perfect sense, piece of paper, salamander, salamanders, san marcos, southern mexico, study author, university of california berkeley, western guatemala
