A multi agency project funded by US EPA's STAR Program

Development of Great Lakes Environmental Indicators Based on Amphibians

Amphibians make good environmental indicators because they tend not to move very far during their lifespan. This makes them particularly sensitive to local environmental changes. Amphibians also have delicate skin that is much less protective against chemical stressors than is the tougher skin of other organisms. Because amphibians may be among the first affected by environmental damage, monitoring their populations is important.

Amphibian populations are monitored by through frog-calling censuses in the spring, and by sampling for tadpoles, salamanders, newts, and frogs in pools and wetlands along the Great Lakes shorelines.

Scientific Abstract

Finding Frogs

Researchers:
Dr. Robert Howe, Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
JoAnn Hanowski, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth
Dr. Charles Smith, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University