DOCSLIB.ORG

Brevetoxin in Texas

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Brevetoxin in Texas SHORT COMMUNICATIONS DOI: 10.7589/2017-01-018 Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 54(1), 2018, pp. 000–000 Ó Wildlife Disease Association 2018 Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea) and Ground Squirrel (Xerospermophilus spilosoma) Mortality Attributed to Inland Brevetoxin Transportation at Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, 2015 Danielle E. Buttke,1,7 Alicia Walker,2 I-Shuo Huang,3 Leanne Flewelling,4 Julia Lankton,5 Anne E. Ballmann,5 Travis Clapp,6 James Lindsay,6 and Paul V. Zimba3 1National Park Service, Wildlife Health Branch, 1201 Oakridge Drive Suite 200, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524, USA; 2University of Texas Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, Texas 78373, USA; 3Center for Coastal Studies, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412, USA; 4Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 100 8th Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA; 5US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711, USA; 6Padre Island National Seashore, 20301 Park Road 22, Corpus Christi, Texas 78418, USA; 7Corresponding author: ([email protected]) ABSTRACT: On 16 September 2015, a red tide The number of affected frogs was likely higher (Karenia brevis) bloom impacted coastal areas as carcasses may have been scavenged or not of Padre Island National Seashore Park. Two observed in surrounding vegetation. That days later and about 0.9 km inland, 30–40 morning, a rainstorm with high winds, rough adult green tree frogs (Hyla cinerea) were surf, and high tides had occurred. Several days found dead after displaying tremors, weak- later, spotted ground squirrels (Xerospermo- ness, labored breathing, and other signs of philus spilosoma) and a coyote (Canis latrans) neurologic impairment. A rainstorm, accom- were found nearby that were either dead or panied by high winds, rough surf, and high exhibiting neurologic impairment signs. With- tides, which could have aerosolized brevetox- in a day of the tree frog mortality, a spotted in, occurred on the morning of the mortality ground squirrel carcass was found within 1.75 event. Frog carcasses were healthy but km of the tree frog mortality location. On 29 contained significant brevetoxin in tissues. September, 1 km from the area of the tree Tissue brevetoxin was also found in two dead frog mortality, another ground squirrel exhib- or dying spotted ground squirrels (Xerosper- iting similar clinical signs died within an hour mophilus spilosoma) and a coyote (Canis of being found. On the same day, a coyote that latrans). Rainwater collected from the loca- exhibited severe neurologic impairment, and tion of the mortality event contained breve- was euthanized, was found 9 km from the frog toxin. Mortality of green tree frog and ground mortality. squirrel mortality has not been previously Marine mammals, birds, sea turtles, and attributed to brevetoxin exposure and such terrestrial mammals such as coyotes and mortality suggested that inland toxin trans- domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) have port, possibly through aerosols, rainfall, or been involved in mass mortality events from insects, may have important implications for consuming brevetoxin-contaminated fish and coastal species. biota (Castle et al. 2013). A large brevetox- Key words: Brevetoxin, green tree frogs, icosis mortality event involving coyotes and harmful algal bloom, toxin transport. domestic dogs occurred along the park shore following a large K. brevis fish kill in 2009 On 16 September 2015, 30–40 American (Castleetal.2013),butnobrevetoxin- green tree frogs (Hyla cinerea) were found attributed deaths have been reported this far dead or dying at Padre Island National inland. Seashore, Texas, during a coastal red tide Amphibian brevetoxicosis has not been (Karenia brevis) event. Many affected frogs previously documented. However, given the exhibited labored breathing, tremors, weak- temporal proximity of the red tide event, the ness, and loss of righting reflex prior to death. mixed-species mortalities, and the presence of 1 2 JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES, VOL. 54, NO. 1, JANUARY 2018 neurologic signs prior to death, we hypothe- et al. 2013) was used to identify the brevetoxin sized that the tree frogs died from brevetoxin congeners present (specifically PbTx-2, PbTx- potentially transported in rainwater or aero- 3, PbTx-7, PbTx-9, oxidized PbTx-2, cysteine- sols. Brevetoxin concentrations up to 180 ng/ PbTx-B, and cysteine-PbTx-B-sulfoxide). m3 have been measured in aerosols from The analysis at TAMUCC-CCS of six frogs, rough surf but have not been reported in livers and muscles from two ground squirrels, rainwater (Pierce et al. 1989). We aimed to liver from one coyote, and rainwater used the determine the cause of death of the frogs and Abraxis ELISA kit (Number 520026, Abraxis to measure brevetoxin levels in rainwater. Inc., Warminster, Pennsylvania, USA). The Fifteen out of 30–40 affected green tree frogs were rinsed in deionized water, then frogs with minimal decomposition were selec- 70% methyl alcohol was added, and the skin tively collected. Carcasses were frozen and and selected internal organs were dissected nine were sent to the US Geological Survey’s and homogenized prior to analysis. The National Wildlife Health Center (USGS- ground squirrel samples were dissected with NWHC; Madison, Wisconsin) for necropsy, analysis of liver, skeletal muscle, and gastro- diagnostics, and subsequent brevetoxin assess- intestinal tract and contents, and coyote liver ment by Florida Wildlife Research Institute was analyzed from the single animal collected. (FWRI, St. Petersburg, Florida). Ground Rainwater, collected at two locations on 25 squirrel and coyote carcasses were examined September 2015 at an altitude of 90 m and at via gross necropsy by park staff and, together the dune transition to beach at an altitude of with six frogs, were provided to Texas A&M about 900 m from the frog mortality, was University–Corpus Christi’s Center for Coast- analyzed for brevetoxin. al Studies (TAMUCC-CCS, Corpus Christi, We compared the ELISA results of frog Texas) for brevetoxin analysis. Body condition tissues using a t-test (a¼0.05) to evaluate for was assessed based on the size of the coelomic differences between the MARBIONC and fat bodies. Tree frog tissues were analyzed for Abraxis ELISA kits used at the two different ranavirus (Torrence et al. 2010). labs. No significant differences in brevetoxin Four of five frogs necropsied at USGS- concentrations between ELISA test type used NWHC were in fair to good body condition and had moderate to large amounts of insect were detected so data were pooled (t-value ¼ ¼ ¼ material in the stomachs; the remaining frog 1.86, P 0.11 for skin; t 2.21, P 0.06 for gut was in poor body condition but also had and contents). Mean concentrations (SE) of 6 recently ingested food in the stomach. There brevetoxin of the skin was 57 ( 6) ng/g and were no significant gross or microscopic tissue was 87 (616) ng/g in gut-intestine. Liver abnormalities. Tissues from all five frogs, tissue of the 11 frogs averaged 66 (620) ng/g including skin, liver, spleen, and kidney, were (Table 1). Analysis by UPLC showed that only negative for ranavirus. PbTx-3 and the brevetoxin metabolite cyste- At FWRI, liver, skin, lung, and gastrointes- ine-PbTx-B were present in the samples tinal tracts of frogs were extracted for (Table 2). brevetoxin as previously described (Naar et Brevetoxin levels in two spotted ground al. 2002; Flewelling 2008). Liver was pooled squirrels collected at the same time and area from the five specimens and skin was pooled as the frogs ranged from 19.3 ng/g in muscle from two animals to reach a sufficient sample to 493.9 ng/g in liver. Liver from a coyote volume for brevetoxin-3 and congeners exhibiting neurologic signs had 92.3 ng/g (PbTx-3 equivalents) quantification using a brevetoxin (Table 1). Two samples of rainwa- competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent ter collected on 25 September from the assay (ELISA; MARBIONC Development beach, one directly inland from and the Group, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA). second adjacent to the mortality location, Ultra-performance liquid chromatography contained 12.3 and 0.6 ng/ml brevetoxin, (UPLC)-tandem mass spectrometry (Castle respectively. SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 3 TABLE 1. Concentrations of brevetoxin 3 (PbTx-3) equivalents obtained by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing of tissues from carcasses of American green tree frog (Hyla cinerea), ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus spilosoma), and one coyote (Canis latrans) collected at Padre Island National Seashore, September 2015 following a mortality event caused by brevetoxin putatively aerosolized from a red tide (Karenia brevis) bloom. Sample PbTx-3 equivalent (ng/g) Species Tissue n Mean weight (g) Mean (SE) Median Range Green tree frog Skin 10 0.11 57.3 (6.1) 58.8 18.0–92.4 Gut and contents 11 0.18 86.6 (15.9) 95.4 23.4–165.3 Liver 7 0.07 65.8 (19.6) 49.2 34.8–181.8 Skin rinsea 6—b 2.3 (0.4) 2.1 1.5–4.0 Ground squirrel Liver 2 0.27 43.1 (21.3) — 21.9–64.4 Skeletal muscle 2 0.38 22.7 (3.4) — 19.3–26.2 Gut and contents 1 0.23 — — 493.9 Coyote Liver 1 0.34 — — 92.3 a The concentration for skin rinse is given in ng/ml. b (—) Indicates _______. We report a unique case of brevetoxin- this study were found 900 m from the beach. associated green tree frog mortality. Because Gray tree frogs (Hyla versicolor) are a closely we do not know the sensitivity of green tree related species with a maximum recorded frogs to brevetoxin, we cannot determine movement distance of 330 m over a period of whether the brevetoxin levels detected in the days to weeks (Johnson et al.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mannophryne Olmonae) Catherine G
    The College of Wooster Libraries Open Works Senior Independent Study Theses 2014 A Not-So-Silent Spring: The mpI acts of Traffic Noise on Call Features of The loB ody Bay Poison Frog (Mannophryne olmonae) Catherine G. Clemmens The College of Wooster, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy Part of the Other Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Clemmens, Catherine G., "A Not-So-Silent Spring: The mpI acts of Traffico N ise on Call Features of The loodyB Bay Poison Frog (Mannophryne olmonae)" (2014). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 5783. https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/5783 This Senior Independent Study Thesis Exemplar is brought to you by Open Works, a service of The oC llege of Wooster Libraries. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Independent Study Theses by an authorized administrator of Open Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © Copyright 2014 Catherine G. Clemmens A NOT-SO-SILENT SPRING: THE IMPACTS OF TRAFFIC NOISE ON CALL FEATURES OF THE BLOODY BAY POISON FROG (MANNOPHRYNE OLMONAE) DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY INDEPENDENT STUDY THESIS Catherine Grace Clemmens Adviser: Richard Lehtinen Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for Independent Study Thesis in Biology at the COLLEGE OF WOOSTER 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. ABSTRACT II. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………...............…...........1 a. Behavioral Effects of Anthropogenic Noise……………………….........2 b. Effects of Anthropogenic Noise on Frog Vocalization………………....6 c. Why Should We Care? The Importance of Calling for Frogs..................8 d. Color as a Mode of Communication……………………………….…..11 e. Biology of the Bloody Bay Poison Frog (Mannophryne olmonae)…...13 III.
    [Show full text]
  • In the United States District Court
    Case 1:20-cv-00556-MJT Document 2-1 Filed 12/29/20 Page 2 of 174 PageID #: 16 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS BEAUMONT DIVISION ____________________________________ ) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ) and the STATE OF TEXAS, ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) Civil Action No. 1:20-cv-556 ) v. ) ) E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS ) and COMPANY ) ) and ) ) THE CHEMOURS COMPANY FC, LLC, ) ) Defendants. ) ) CONSENT DECREE ADDRESSING NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGES This Consent Decree is made and entered into by and between the United States of America (“United States”), on behalf of the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior (“DOI”) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) of the Department of Commerce (“Federal Trustees”); the State of Texas, on behalf of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”), the Texas General Land Office (“TGLO”), and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (“TPWD”) (“State Trustees”); E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (“DuPont”) and The Chemours Company FC, LLC (“Chemours”) (collectively, “Settling Defendants”). Case 1:20-cv-00556-MJT Document 2-1 Filed 12/29/20 Page 3 of 174 PageID #: 17 BACKGROUND A. Contemporaneously with the lodging of this Consent Decree, the United States, on behalf of the Federal Trustees, and the State of Texas, on behalf of the State Trustees, filed a Complaint in this matter against Settling Defendants pursuant to Section 107 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), 42 U.S.C. § 9607, and the Texas Hazardous Substances Spill Prevention and Control Act, Texas Water Code §§ 26.261–26.267.
    [Show full text]
  • Species and Stage Specific Developmental Toxicity of Endosulfan
    SPECIES AND STAGE SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY OF ENDOSULFAN EXPOSURE IN HYLA CINEREA AND RANITOMEYA IMITATOR by Matthew K. Edwards April, 2015 Director of Thesis: Krista McCoy Major Department: Biology During ontogeny, organisms pass through critical periods of heightened vulnerability to disruptive exogenous agents. In organisms with complex life cycles, these developmental windows result in variable susceptibility across life stages. Consequently, developmental anomalies that occur during early life may carry-over to affect later stages and ultimately individual fitness. This study investigated stage specific and carry-over effects on anuran growth and development following low dose exposure to the insecticide endosulfan. For this purpose, Hyla cinerea and Ranitomeya imitator embryos and larvae were continuously exposed, either individually or in combination, to a gradient of environmentally relevant concentrations of endosulfan (0, 0.1, 1, 10, 100, and 1,000 ng/L) until completion of metamorphosis. Though effects on mortality, deformity, and timing to and condition at multiple developmental points were not significant, observed abnormalities implicated endosulfan exposure. Embryonic R. imitator exposed to endosulfan experienced greater mortality and deformity than did those exposed as larvae, though H. cinerea life stages did not exhibit large differences with either endpoint. These findings indicate that traditional indicators of developmental toxicity may not provide an adequate characterization of pesticide hazards across species and life stages. SPECIES AND STAGE SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY OF ENDOSULFAN EXPOSURE IN HYLA CINEREA AND RANITOMEYA IMITATOR A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Biology East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Biology by Matthew K.
    [Show full text]
  • The Paisano Volume 27, Number 2
    National Park Service Park News and Visit Planner U.S. Department of the Interior The offi cial newspaper of Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River The Paisano Volume 27, number 2 Ranch foreman’s home at Blue Creek A Checkered Past What’s Inside Backcountry Planning. 13 WELCOME TO BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK AND THE RIO GRANDE WILD This issue of the Big Bend Paisano explores the complex history of Dayhikes. 9 and Scenic River! Big Bend is one of the largest and least visited of the Big Bend. This desert borderland brought people of diff erent Desert Sanctuary . 6 America’s national parks. Over 800,000 acres await your exploration cultures and diff erent countries together, an often volatile mixture General Info & Services. 12 and enjoyment. From an elevation of less than 2,000 feet along the in an often harsh environment. While most visitors come here to Important Phone Numbers . .16 Rio Grande to nearly 8,000 feet in the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend experience the recreational opportunities the Chihuahuan Desert Keeping Wildlife Wild . 11 includes massive canyons, vast desert expanses, and the entire provides, the history of the region is never far away—from decaying Park Maps . 16 Chisos Mountain range. adobe homes, to remnants of ranch fences or roads. During your Park News. 4 visit, take a soak in the historic and healing waters at Hot Springs, Park Partners . 3 Here, you can explore one of the last remaining wild corners of seek out the sites of ranchers and soldiers along the Ross Maxwell Pets in the Park.
    [Show full text]
  • Adaptive Responses to Salinity Stress Across Multiple Life Stages in Anuran Amphibians Molly A
    Albecker and McCoy Frontiers in Zoology (2017) 14:40 DOI 10.1186/s12983-017-0222-0 RESEARCH Open Access Adaptive responses to salinity stress across multiple life stages in anuran amphibians Molly A. Albecker* and Michael W. McCoy Abstract Background: In many regions, freshwater wetlands are increasing in salinity at rates exceeding historic levels. Some freshwater organisms, like amphibians, may be able to adapt and persist in salt-contaminated wetlands by developing salt tolerance. Yet adaptive responses may be more challenging for organisms with complex life histories, because the same environmental stressor can require responses across different ontogenetic stages. Here we investigated responses to salinity in anuran amphibians: a common, freshwater taxon with a complex life cycle. We conducted a meta-analysis to define how the lethality of saltwater exposure changes across multiple life stages, surveyed wetlands in a coastal region experiencing progressive salinization for the presence of anurans, and used common garden experiments to investigate whether chronic salt exposure alters responses in three sequential life stages (reproductive, egg, and tadpole life stages) in Hyla cinerea, a species repeatedly observed in saline wetlands. Results: Meta-analysis revealed differential vulnerability to salt stress across life stages with the egg stage as the most salt-sensitive. Field surveys revealed that 25% of the species known to occur in the focal region were detected in salt-intruded habitats. Remarkably, Hyla cinerea was found in large abundances in multiple wetlands with salinity concentrations 450% higher than the tadpole-stage LC50. Common garden experiments showed that coastal (chronically salt exposed) populations of H. cinerea lay more eggs, have higher hatching success, and greater tadpole survival in higher salinities compared to inland (salt naïve) populations.
    [Show full text]
  • Osteopilus Septentrionalis in a Mesic Hammock North-Central Florida
    Patterns of landscape occupancy of Hyla cinerea and Osteopilus septentrionalis in a mesic hammock North-Central Florida Abstract Post breeding migration from wetlands into drier upland habitat is a behavior shared by many amphibians. Unlike that of breeding habitat, very few studies determine what factors are important in how amphibians select this non-breeding habitat. We explored how amphibians of the family Hylidae occupied a mesic hardwood hammock in north-central Florida, considering differences using distance from breeding pond and amount of canopy cover. We are particularly interested in the habitat of the native green tree frog (Hyla cinerea)—GTF—and the invasive Cuban tree frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)—CTF. We used an array of PVC pipe refugia to sample the uplands outwards from the edge of water. We found that there was little movement of individuals between transects and there was no movement between the two ponds. There was no apparent pattern of where juvenile or adult H. cinerea were found in regard to distance from water. We collected presence data for each of the 54 pipe “sites” and ran an occupancy model and found that distance from the water is a good predictor of where H. cinerea can be found during the nonbreeding season, but not canopy cover. Unfortunately, we were unable to collect enough data for O. septentrionalis to draw any conclusions about their occupancy in the hammock. Introduction Amphibia as a Linnaean class and a unique phylogenetic clade faces worldwide decline and extinction (Maccallum 2007). Amphibians face many barriers to survival through the anthropogenic sixth mass extinction; habitat loss and fragmentation, virulent chytrid fungus epidemics, pollution, global climate change, and even the spread of new predators and competitors from around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Species Specific Provisions for Amphibians Background
    Restricted Strasbourg, 27 August 2004 GT 123 (2004) 14 WORKING PARTY FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE FOURTH MULTILATERAL CONSULTATION OF PARTIES TO THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS USED FOR EXPERIMENTAL AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES (ETS 123) 8th Meeting of the Working Party Strasbourg, 22-24 September 2004 ___________ Species specific provisions for Amphibians Background information for the proposals presented by the Group of Experts on Amphibians and Reptiles PART B _____ This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. Ce document ne sera plus distribué en réunion. Prière de vous munir de cet exemplaire. 2 Background information On the species-specific proposals for amphibians Presented by the Expert Group on Amphibians and Reptiles Jörg-Peter Ewert 1 (Coordinator), John E. Cooper 2, Tom Langton 3, Gilbert Matz 4, Kathryn Reilly 5, Helen Schwantje 6 ___________________ 1Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, D-34109 Kassel, Germany, Email: [email protected], [email protected] 2Wildlife Health Services, PO Box 153, Wellingborough NN8 2ZA, UK, Email: [email protected] [Present address: Prof. John E. Cooper, DTVM, FRCPath, FIBiol, FRCVS ; School of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago; Email: [email protected] ] 3Triton House, Bramfield, Halesworth, Suffolk 1P19 9AE, UK, Email: [email protected] 4Laboratoire de Biologie Animale, Université d'Angers, 2 Bd Lavoisier, F-49045 Angers Cedex 01, France 5Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd, Terling Park, Eastwick Road, Harlow, Essex CM20 2QR, UK, Email: [email protected] 6Canadian Council on Animal Care Constitution Square, Tower II, 315-350 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON K1R 1B1, Canada, Email: [email protected] 3 C o n t e n t s Preamble Amphibians 1.
    [Show full text]
  • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE National Contact: Carl Walton June 13, 2019 202.268.6539 Mobile 804.402.6702 [email protected]
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE National Contact: Carl Walton June 13, 2019 202.268.6539 mobile 804.402.6702 [email protected] Local Contact: Brian Sperry (720) 244-5106 [email protected] usps.com/news Frogs Are Forever U.S. Postal Service Celebrates Four Species with New Forever Stamps What: The U.S. Postal Service issues Frogs, four stamps in a booklet of 20 that feature digital illustrations of four North American frogs: the Pacific tree frog, the northern leopard frog, the American green tree frog and the squirrel tree frog. The First Day of Issue event is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #FrogStamps. Who: Tom Samra, Vice President, Facilities, U.S. Postal Service When: Tuesday, July 9, at 11 a.m. MT Where: Morrison Knudsen Nature Center 600 S. Walnut Street Boise, ID 83712 RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/frogs. Frogs live on every continent except Antarctica; more than 90 species live in the Background: United States, including the four on these stamps. Found throughout the western United States, the tiny Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) is nicknamed the “Hollywood frog.” Countless television shows and movies have used its rib-bit, rib-bit call in nighttime scenes. The northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) is commonly identified by its highly distinctive call, a rattle-like snoring noise, followed by several notes described as “chuckling” or “clucking.” Sometimes called the rain frog for its noisy choruses after a warm rain, the American green tree frog (Hyla cinerea) is also dubbed the cowbell frog for the sound of its short call when heard from a distance.
    [Show full text]
  • Frogs Leap Onto Forever Stamps Postal Service Celebrates Four American Species
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE National Contact: Carl Walton July 9, 2019 202.268.6539 mobile 804.402.6702 [email protected] Local Contact: Brian Sperry (720) 244-5106 [email protected] usps.com/news Frogs Leap onto Forever Stamps Postal Service Celebrates Four American Species BOISE, ID — The U.S. Postal Service today issued new Forever stamps featuring digital illustrations of four North American frogs. The First Day of Issue event took place at the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center, Boise, ID. The four different “Frog” stamps are offered in a booklet of 20 and feature: the Pacific tree frog, the northern leopard frog, the American green tree frog and the squirrel tree frog. News of the stamp is being shared using the hashtags #FrogStamps. “More than 4,000 species of frogs are found in all continents except Antarctica, and more than 90 species are found here in the United States,” said Tom Samra, Vice President, Facilities, U.S. Postal Service and dedicating official at the stamp ceremony. “Frogs play an important role, not only in their natural habitat, but to our daily lives. As tadpoles they feed on algae, which helps keep the water clean, and as adults, they feed on insects, which helps to control bug populations.” Joining Samra to unveil the stamps were Ed Schriever, Director of Idaho Department of Fish and Games; Elaine Clegg, City Council President Pro Tem, Boise, ID; Dr. John Cossel Jr., Chair, Department of Biology, Northwest Nazarene University; and the event emcee, Victoria Runnoe, Conservation Education Supervisor, Morrison Knudsen Nature Center.
    [Show full text]
  • Warm-Blooded and Cold-Blooded Animals ���� 26
    Unit 2 Reader Grade 3 Rattenborough’s Guide to Animals Grade 3 Unit 2 Rattenborough’s Guide to Animals Reader ISBN 978-1-68161-222-5 © 2015 The Core Knowledge Foundation and its licensors www.coreknowledge.org Cover © 2017 Amplify Education, Inc. and its licensors www.amplify.com All Rights Reserved. Core Knowledge Language Arts and CKLA are trademarks of the Core Knowledge Foundation. Trademarks and trade names are shown in this book strictly for illustrative and educational purposes and are the property of their respective owners. References herein should not be regarded as affecting the validity of said trademarks and trade names. Printed in the USA 02 LSCOW 2017 Table of Contents Rattenborough’s Guide to Animals Unit 2 Reader Chapter 1: Introduction: Meet Rattenborough �. 2 Chapter 2: Classifying Living Things . 10 Chapter 3: Vertebrate or Invertebrate? . 20 Chapter 4: Warm-Blooded and Cold-Blooded Animals. 26 Chapter 5: Fish . 34 Chapter 6: Fish: Fins and Gills �. 42 Chapter 7: Amphibians . 58 Chapter 8: Tree Frogs . 66 Chapter 9: The Poison Dart Frog . 74 Chapter 10: Reptiles: Cold-Blooded Scaly Vertebrates . 80 Chapter 11: Reptiles . 92 Chapter 12: Birds. 98 Chapter 13: Mammals �. 104 Chapter 14: Jane Goodall. 112 Chapter 15: Scientists Who Classify Animals . .120 Chapter 16: Vertebrate Animals Around the World. 128 Pausing Point (Additional Chapters for Enrichment) Chapter 17: Deep-Sea Fish �. 140 Chapter 18: The Komodo Dragon �. 148 Glossary for Rattenborough's Guide to Animals . .157 Chapter Introduction: Meet 1 Rattenborough Greetings! Rattenborough, the famous explorer and animal expert here! Remember me? I taught you all about animals and habitats when you were just little kids in first grade.
    [Show full text]
  • Potential Impact of Invasive Anuran Species in Western
    POTENTIAL IMPACT OF INVASIVE ANURAN SPECIES IN WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND by © Dion O. Kelly A thesis submitted to The School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Programme Memorial University of Newfoundland March 2016 St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador ABSTRACT Successful dispersal and establishment of invasive anurans (frogs and toads) may be influenced by competitive exclusion and/or niche differentiation with competing species. I investigated the dispersal of anurans in western Newfoundland using anuran calling surveys and pond-edge visual encounter surveys. The Mink Frog, Lithobates septentrionalis, had dispersed ~50 km northeast from the original (2001) discovery location and ~34 km southwest; displaying spatial separation from Green Frogs, Lithobates clamitans, at landscape and local scales. Visual encounter surveys did not reveal any correlation between adult Mink Frogs and odonate competitors. Additionally, I assessed the impact of varying tadpole densities on removal of epilithic periphyton by providing epilithon covered substrates for American Toad, Anaxyrus americanus, tadpoles raised in laboratory or field enclosures. Higher tadpole densities resulted in smaller tadpoles that removed more periphyton from substrates. As anuran population ranges expand, there may be effects on ecological resources for vertebrate and invertebrate competitors. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I thank Dr. Ian Warkentin for providing this opportunity to expand my knowledge in the field of ecology; his immeasurable support and guidance has been vital to the completion of this project. Thank you also to the members of my supervisory committee, Dr. Christine Campbell and Dr. Robert Scott, for their invaluable advice and assistance in the project design and analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • Green Tree Frog Fact Sheet
    Green Tree Frog Fact Sheet Common Name: Green Tree Frog Scientific Name: Hyla cinerea Wild Status: Least Concern Habitat: Wetlands Country: Central/Southeast United States Shelter: Ponds, lakes, marshes Life Span: 6 years Size: 2-3 inches Details The American green tree frog is a common backyard species and pet, and is the state amphibian of Georgia and Louisiana. They prefer to live in floating vegetation and grasses around wetlands like marshes, swamps, and lakes. They are small and frightened easily, so do not crowd them with attention and noise - when handled carefully, they are friendly and can be good companions. They are insectivores so they won't eat any veggies or fruits, but enjoy flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects. Males will call most times of the year - the sounds is very unique, and their necks will grow big when they do! Like many amphibians, they have delicate skin and can easily take in toxins through their skin, so handling them often is not recommended. Cool Facts • The average number of eggs laid per clutch is 400, with larger females laying larger clutches. • Eggs take between 4 and 14 days to hatch. • During Spring and Summer, males will usually call after rainfall. • Prey may be chosen according to activity level, with more active prey species being eaten more frequently. • Body color may change depending on lighting or temperature. • Males are smaller than females and have wrinkled throats (vocal pouch). Taxonomic Breakdown Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Anura Family: Hylidae Genus: Hyla Species: H. cinerea Conservation & Helping Green Tree Frogs are of least concern on the endangered species list, but amphibians as a whole are often at risk because of environmental pollution.
    [Show full text]