THE SILENCE OF THE FROGS
THE SILENCE OF THE FROGS
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM?
A term used to describe the ______________ among the many __________ living in an _______________ and the ______________ among those _______________ and the ______________ components of the environment
WHAT IS AN AMPHIBIAN?
Amphi is Greek for “on both sides” and bios is Greek for “life”
Amphibians refers to animals that have _______________
Frogs begin as ___________ and grow to ____________ in __________
Enter their lives as _________ in ____________ and ______________ areas
EXAMPLE
______________
WHY ARE SCIENTISTS CONCERNED?
Many scientists believe the health of amphibians is a clue to the _______________ of our ecosystems
Exposure to ____________ is possible in both types of ecosystems these types of animals inhabit
( they are __________________________
FROGS IN THEIR ECOSYSTEMS
Frogs are part of two different __________________
WHAT ARE FOOD CHAINS?
Food chains are _________________ sequence linking ______________ that _______________ each other
EXAMPLE
____________ ( _____________ ( _________ ( _____________
All food chains start with a ________________ such as _________ (the producers) and continue with ___________ and other ________________ that _________ on the plants and on each other (the consumers)
There are three different types of consumers:
Herbivores
Animals that eat _________
Carnivores
Animals that __________________________
“________ eaters”
Omnivores
Animals that eat both _________ and ______________
In both food chains, above and below, if the _____________, the frog (or tadpole) are affected by their ecosystem which in turn, will have effects on ____________________ in that food chain
EXAMPLE
In ______________, a ____________ in frogs leads to _____________ in ________________ which in turn _____________ the cases of _____________ in humans
WHAT ARE DETRITUS FOOD CHAINS?
Detritus food chains are important in the _______________________ in the ecosystem
DETRITUS
__________ from ___________ and ____________, including their ____________________
DECOMPOSERS
Organisms that ______________ detritus to get _____________ for their own use but in the process also ___________ nutrients to the ________ and ___________
WHY ARE FROGS DISAPPEARING?
Scientists have come up with some probably causes
(a) Loss of Habitat
Frogs need ______________ and _________ with clean water so they can _________ and ______________
As adults, they need __________ and _________ where they can catch ____________
___________________ and __________ takes away these places
The ______________________, _______________________ (leads to predator exposure) and __________________ between ponds and roads
(b) Air and Water Quality
_______________ is the ___________ major cause for decline in frog population
Frog skin is _________ and ________ and _____________ can _____________________ (acid rain is an example)
Water acidity reduces the mobility of frog sperm cells
Even if mating is successful, acid affects the frog’s development
( slower growth or deformation of embryos
( drying up of ponds leads to death of tadpoles
(c) Ultraviolet radiation
Frogs at higher altitudes are the ones most endangered
Many highland species have adapted to the higher UV radiation
( laying black eggs
( development of black covering that lines the internal organs
Scientists believe that adaptations cannot keep pace with changes in the ozone layer
(d) Climate change
___________________ due to use of __________________ such as coal, oil and gasoline
If climate is _________, frogs will _____________
( no frog can stay in the sun for too long or completely separate itself from fresh water
UNDERSTANDING CONCEPTS
1. A decline in the number of frogs would affect other species. Using the term food chain, explain how the decline would affect
(a) insects
(b) algae
2. View the 2 illustrations in the Food Chains section of the note. Classify each organism as an herbivore, carnivore or omnivore
3. Explain the difference between the two food chains to which the frog belongs. Explain the role of the frog in each chain.
4. (a) Why is the life cycle and skin of the frog make the frog a good animal indicator of the health of ecosystems?
5. Make a list of things you could to help frogs survive.
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