Click here to close
Hello! We notice that you are using Internet Explorer, which is not supported by Xenbase and may cause the site to display incorrectly.
We suggest using a current version of Chrome,
FireFox, or Safari.
Ann N Y Acad Sci
2011 Mar 01;1223:108-19. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05909.x.
Show Gene links
Show Anatomy links
The complexity of amphibian population declines: understanding the role of cofactors in driving amphibian losses.
Blaustein AR
,
Han BA
,
Relyea RA
,
Johnson PT
,
Buck JC
,
Gervasi SS
,
Kats LB
.
???displayArticle.abstract???
Population losses and extinctions of species are occurring at unprecedented rates, as exemplified by declines and extinctions of amphibians worldwide. However, studies of amphibian population declines generally do not address the complexity of the phenomenon or its implications for ecological communities, focusing instead on single factors affecting particular amphibian species. We argue that the causes for amphibian population declines are complex; may differ among species, populations, and life stages within a population; and are context dependent with multiple stressors interacting to drive declines. Because amphibians are key components of communities, we emphasize the importance of investigating amphibian declines at the community level. Selection pressures over evolutionary time have molded amphibian life history characteristics, such that they may remain static even in the face of strong, recent human-induced selection pressures.
Figure 2
Total number of articles published on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the primary literature yearly from 1998 to 2009. Articles were compiled using the search strings Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and amphibian in three databases: Web of Science (221 hits), BIOSIS (248 hits), and Zoological Record (185 hits), from which duplicates and articles from nonprimary literature were removed for a total of 307 articles.
Figure 3
Complex interactions among climate change, ultraviolet-B radiation, and an amphibian pathogen. Modified from Ref. 33.
Figure 4
Effects of insecticides on a simplified wetland community. At very low concentrations, most insecticides cannot directly kill tadpoles. However, zooplankton are highly sensitive and can be eliminated, allowing the phytoplankton to bloom throughout the water column, thereby shading the underlying periphyton and causing tadpoles to experience reduced growth and slower development. Should the wetland dry, the slower developing tadpoles cannot metamorphose in time and will die. Arrows indicate the direction of energy flow in the community and changes in font size of each trophic group represent relative changes in abundance.
Figure 5
Evolutionary constraints molding amphibian behaviors and life history characteristics in light of amphibian population declines. Modified from Ref. 66.
