Frog Habitats and Adaption 2 Frog habitats Frogs live on all the large landmasses of the world, except Antarctica and Greenland. Many people assume that they only live in moist areas, but in fact their habitats are far more varied. While they are most common in the warm, wet tropics, they also live: • in rainforests to deserts, • in alpine to coastal areas, • in treetops to under the ground, • on cliff faces to sphagnum moss bogs, • in still water to running streams. Frogs always require moisture to survive and to breed because during the tadpole phase of their life cycle, they are dependent on water. Depending on their habitat, some tadpoles will develop more quickly than others due to limitations on water sources. They are also very sensitive to water loss because their skin is permeable. This means that frogs who live in drier areas have behavioural adaptations to survive, for example burrowing, which helps to retain skin moisture, while frogs that live in moist environments are free to live above the ground. 3 Frog adaptations Frogs are especially adapted for the places they live in and their colouring is often dependent on their habitat. Many different species that live in the same types of habitats, have similar colourings that helps them to hide from potential predators. Some have even adapted to look like bird poo! The colour of frog skin can also be used to actively deter predators – some species have bright colours to indicate that they are unpleasant tasting or poisonous. Some have bright markings on their inner thighs, called flash markings, to startle predators when they jump. Many frogs that live in forests and rainforests have sticky toe discs that help them climb and keep them in place when resting on leaves and branches. Frogs that live in arid areas have tough tubercles (nodules) on their back feet to help them dig into the earth when burrowing. Frogs that swim have webbed feet to make them more efficient in the water. 4 Due to the moist environments most frogs live in, it is necessary for them to have adaptations that will protect them from the bacteria that also thrives in wet environments. Frog skin produces substances such as alkaloids, steroids and peptides which have antibacterial and antifungal properties. These substances are often released in response to stress or infection. Some frogs are adapted to live in dry deserts. When conditions become dry the frogs: • burrow down into the earth to a depth of up to a metre by shovelling the sand or mud from under them with their back feet. • make a small chamber in the earth. • form a cocoon made from many layers of dead skin, encasing their entire body. When rain falls again, frogs emerge; find mates, lay eggs and feed – all in a short space of time. The tadpoles must develop very quickly into adults before the puddle they live in dries up. 5 What is FrogID? FrogID is a national citizen science project that aims to make learning about Australian frogs, what is happening to them, and the importance of conserving frogs easy. With the FrogID app, people from all over the country can record frog calls and identify frogs in their area using their smartphones! The app is also being used to collect data on the Cane Toad, allowing us to track its whereabouts, and to identify where frog populations are thriving and where they are threatened. Using FrogID, you can help scientists determine where frogs are most at risk of habitat loss, climate change and disease. How to use the FrogID mobile app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl73oSP1MjE Why Frogs are important FrogID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKzPq-gOQro What’s so important about frogs? Frogs play a vital role in many food webs, as both predators and prey. Their role as predators of insects is a key factor in the eradication of millions of pests that could destroy valuable crops. As prey, they provide food for birds, fish, snakes, and other larger animals. Tadpoles can even act as a kind of filter by feeding on algae. They are also key biological indicators of the health of the environment. Environmental degradation, climate change and disease have detrimental effects on frog populations. Their soft, absorbent skin often means that environmental changes, such as increasing pollution, are indicated early by declining populations and rising numbers of physical deformities. By returning to sites where frogs have been recorded at different times and under different weather conditions, we can track changes in frog populations and habitats over time, and so gauge the effect of environment change on different frog species. Data obtained through the app can also help us to track the spread of introduced Cane Toads. 6 Frog Habitats – Teacher Resource 1. Summary Students explore habitats and investigate the different adaptations different frog species need to survive in the habitat. 2. Objectives • Students are introduced to the concepts of adaptations, habitats and food webs. • They are encouraged to use design-based problem-solving skills. • Students will know different species of frogs and their associated features. 3. Curriculum links • Stage 1 • Stage 3 o ACSIS129 o ACSSU017 o ACSSU043 o ACSIS130 o ACSSU211 o ACSIS090 o ACSIS133 o ACSHE021 o ACSSU094 o ACSIS139 o ACSHE022 • Stage 4 o ACSIS140 o ACSHE034 o ACSSU112 o ACSIS144 o ACSHE035 o ACSHE120 o ACSIS145 • Stage 2 o ACSIS124 o ACSSU073 o ACSIS125 4. Resources • Habitat Sorting Game – Student Activity (pages 10-15) • Design Your Own Frog Pond -Teacher Resource (page 16) • Design Your Own Frog Pond – Student Activity (page 17) • Frogs as Bio-indicators – Student Activity (page 21) • Frogs and Climate Change – Student Activity (page 23) • Finding Frogs in Nests video - https://vimeo.com/71330538 • Tips for using FrogID video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQDF7uCjsTY • Tree Frogs and Ground-Dwelling Frogs fact sheets on Australian Museum website: https://australianmuseum.net.au/frogs-amphibians • Links to frog species and their habitats on the Australian Museum website: http://australianmuseum.net.au/frogs-amphibians • Frog hands and feet article about adaptations: http://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/science/put-your-hands-up-and-best-foot- forward • Keeping frogs in a Terrarium: http://australianmuseum.net.au/care-of-amphibians • Noisy frogs in your garden: http://australianmuseum.net.au/noisy-frogs • The Strangest Tadpole: http://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/science/the-strangest-tadpole 7 5. Session structure a) Introduction - Engage • Establish students’ prior knowledge about habitats and animals’ needs: o As humans, what do we need to survive? What do animals need to survive? What do frogs need? b) Suggested activities – Explore, Explain and Elaborate • Habitat Sorting Game (pages 10-15) o Students look at the different photos of the frogs focusing on body shape, feet (spade feet) and toe pads etc. to match frogs to one of 4 habitats. o Extension: Students could explain how the frogs’ adaptations help them survive in their habitat. • Frog Pond Activity (pages 16-20) o Students research the frogs that live in their local area and their needs. o They design a pond appropriate for their local frogs. They could draw their habitat design on paper or use a digital drawing program. o Students could also create a 3D model of their habitat inside an old shoe-box using craft materials such as crepe paper, cellophane etc. o Extension: ▪ Students consider the specific plant needs for the pond. ▪ Students design a frog pond for the school. • Frogs as Bio-indicators Activity (page 22) o Students look at the information provided and do their own research regarding how frogs can be used as bio-indicators. o Students could present their findings to the class or have a class discussion on the topic ‘Do frogs make good bio-indicators?’ • Frogs and Climate Change Activity (page 23) o Students create a digital presentation or speech to present at the United Nations Environment Program in New York about the relationship between frogs and climate change. 8 Frog Adaption and Evolution – Teacher Resource 1. Summary Students learn about how animals have evolved to suit their environments and possess adaptations that make them best suited for their environment. 2. Objectives • Students identify differences between habitats. • They link different habitats to the different frog species inhabiting a range of ecosystems • They learn about the theory of evolution by natural selection. • They learn that frogs have features that suit their habitat. 3. Curriculum links • Stage 1 • Stage 3 • Stage 5 o ACSSU211 o ACSSU043 o ACSSU176 • Stage 2 o ACSSU094 o ACSSU185 o ACSSU073 • Stage 4 o ACSIS133 o ACSIS124 4. Resources • Habitat Sorting Game – Student Activity (pages 10-15) • Frog Adaption and Evolution – Student Activity (page 21) • Classification – Student Activity (pages 24-29) • Tree Frogs and Ground-Dwelling Frogs fact sheets on Australian Museum website: https://australianmuseum.net.au/frogs-amphibians • Frog feet and hand adaptations: https://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/science/put-your-hands-up-and-best- foot-forward • Adaptations to hide from predators: https://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/amri-news/amri-bird-poo-frogs-more- species • Evolution of tree frogs: https://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/science/frogs-in-the-trees • ‘Flying frogs’ adaptations: https://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/science/aerodynamic-amphibians] • Frogs behaviour in their habitat: https://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/amri-news/linking-frogs-with-flows • A frog that build nests: https://vimeo.com/71330538 9 5. Session structure a) Introduction – Engage • Establish prior knowledge of types of habitats frogs may live in. • Establish prior knowledge of evolution and adaptations. • Habitat Sorting Game – Student Activity (pages 10-15) o Students look at the different photos of frogs focusing on body shape, feet (spade feet) and toe pads etc.