FROGLOG Newsletter of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force
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Atelopus ziteki by Tim Halliday ISSN 1026-0269 FROGLOG Newsletter of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force June 2005, Number 69 A number of commentators have Amphibian Research and Monitoring suggested that the public, and its Initiative (ARMI); we are very grateful to The Future of the leaders, are in a state of denial about them for their continuing support. We environmental issues. The prospect of are delighted to have a new source of DAPTF environmental collapse is too awesome, support this year, Chester Zoo UK, and too remote, to think about. I which is funding three projects, in The Mission of the DAPTF is to suggest that we biologists engage in our Argentina, Nigeria and Trinidad. determine the nature, extent and causes own form of denial by operating within Since 1992, the DAPTF has of amphibian declines throughout the the general area called ‘conservation funded 171 projects through its Seed world, and to promote the means by biology’. This is a comforting, feel-good Grant programme, distributing which declines can be halted or title but the results of the GAA suggest US$298,401 to researchers in 79 reversed. that we’re not doing a very good job. I different countries. Our listing of papers Last year’s Global Amphibian now call myself an ‘extinction biologist’ that acknowledge the DAPTF as a Assessment (GAA) brought to the and find that this generates much source of funding, most of them in high- greater interest in what I do than calling impact journals, now stands at 90. attention of the wider world what those myself a conservationist. I have Tim Halliday of us concerned with amphibian declines already knew. We are faced with a suggested to a number of publishers that Further exploration in search of major extinction event, in the light of they should launch a journal on which our current mission statement extinction biology; this idea is politely Atelopus varius in Costa Rica seems increasingly unrealistic. While rejected, on the grounds that the topic is By Mason Ryan, Erick Berlin and Ron the DAPTF can claim considerable credit too depressing. This comes from Gagliardo for initiating and supporting research that companies that publish innumerable has helped us to understand the causes journals focussing on the most In December 2003 an expedition funded of amphibian declines, real successes in gruesome of human medical conditions. through a DAPTF Rapid Response Fund terms of conserving threatened We must face up, I suggest, to an Grant led by Gagliardo (2004; Atlanta amphibian species are few and far extinction agenda. Faced with a very Botanical Garden) confirmed the between. Later this year, the DAPTF large number of threatened species, existence of an extant population of leadership will meet with our partners, which ones should we seriously try to Atelopus varius in Costa Rica, a species the Global Amphibian Specialist Group conserve? By what criteria do we presumed extinct and last seen in 1996 (GASC), and many other herpetologists choose those species? What (Bolaños pers. comm.). This expedition to discuss our future strategy. information should we gather, for the found three individuals in the streambed How should biologists act in benefit of future generations, about the and, based on current information, there response to mass extinction? I suggest much larger number of species that we are no other populations. Hence, this that the first thing we should do is put will probably not be able to conserve? small population should be of high more effort into alerting the wider world What would we most like to know about conservation priority. Since the first to the significance of amphibian dinosaurs had there been eye-witnesses expedition, efforts to establish a viable declines. The general public, and its to their demise? conservation plan have stalled due to political leaders, seem indifferent to This short editorial is intended to the apparent remoteness of the site, a amphibians and are unimpressed by provoke a response. In particular, we conflict of interests among some of the statistics on threatened species, welcome your comments on these parties involved, and the lack of baseline however large the numbers. We need to issues as we plan our discussions on the data on the population size. long-term future of the DAPTF. The extant population was emphasise that amphibian declines are Tim Halliday found in Fila Chonta, located ~ 10 km a symptom of a rapid decline in the NW of the city of Quepos (Gagliardo, capacity of the environment, especially its freshwater component, to support life. DAPTF Seed Grants 2005 2004). This portion of the coastal We face an uphill struggle in getting this mountain range is topographically message across. During the recent We have completed our allocation of rugged ranging from 400 – 1700 m general election in the UK, every party DAPTF Seed Grants for 2005. We elevation, and consists of 4 life zones: leader repeated the mantra that climate received 48 proposals from 24 countries, tropical wet forest, premontane change is the most serious issue that we and we are funding 14 projects, an rainforest, premontane wet forest, and face; none presented any policies that outlay of $25,450. The number of lower montane rainforest (Holdridge, address the problem, but several that proposals submitted was considerably 1967). Due to the size and relief of Fila will make it worse. The recent report of lower this year than in previous years; so Chonta, it is probable that additional ‘exploding toads’ in Europe was featured is the number of projects we can populations of A. varius may exist in by newspapers, radio and TV, but was support, reflecting a difficult year for the streams not yet surveyed. A second typically treated as a ‘strange but true’ DAPTF in financial terms. This year, for population will further augment the item, relegated to the inside pages or to the first time, we are funding a project in species recovery plan, add genetic the filler slot at the end of a bulletin. Trinidad. Five of the projects we are diversity, and mitigate the susceptibility supporting in the USA are funded by the 1 to extirpation by a single, stochastic (Bd), catastrophic stochastic events of the source population; 2) placement event. such as landslides, and inbreeding of individuals into an ex situ captive On 17 February – 26 February depression. breeding program at the Atlanta 2005, a second expedition was In 2003, one out of three frogs Botanical Garden and other North organized with the following goals: captured tested positive for Bd infection American institutes; and 3) repatriation •Identify other populations of A. varius in (Gagliardo, 2004), yet this species has of A. varius for education and possible Fila Chonta, persisted with this disease present. This reintroduction programs in Costa Rica. •Identify an alternative route to the one warrants further study as to how this Due to the threats stated above, the known population, population can persist with Bd while so management plan needs to be written many other populations of A. varius have immediately and presented to MINAE, •Revisit the known population to verify its been extirpated (Young et al., 2001; Lips Costa Rican officials, and funding persistence, et al., 2004). During the 2005 expedition agencies in order to begin the •Identify potential threats to the known one dying female Smilisca phaeota was implementation process. Assuming the population, recovered from a neighbouring stream population subsists, long-term •Gather information on other species for valley; the animal was exhibiting monitoring should be implemented on a conservation efforts. sloughing skin and was lethargic and 5 to 10 year time scale in order to We surveyed Fila Chonta near unable to right itself in a manner understand the population dynamics and Quepos Hotsprings (N 09º33.466'; W consistent with Bd infection (Lips, 2003). monitor trends of this enigmatic and 084º.043'; ~ 255 m) for 10 days during This animal was collected, preserved in tenacious population. Concurrently, the dry season 17 February – 26 formalin, and deposited at the University more expeditions need to be conducted February 2005. Quepos Hotsprings is a of Costa Rica for histological in the Fila Chonta area in an attempt to 600 ha property surrounded by examination. Bd has been implicated in locate more populations. Additional contiguous forest within a matrix of cattle the decline of numerous amphibian funding is being pursued to continue this pastures, that connects the NE and SW populations throughout Central America project. edges of the mountain range. Visual (Young et al., 2001; Collins & Storfer, References encounter surveys (VES) with a time 2004; Lips et al., 2004) and its presence Collins, J.P. and A. Storfer. 2003. constraint were used for each surveyed in this population makes disease Global amphibian declines: sorting out stream. management and mitigation a high the hypotheses. Diversity and Results and Evaluation of Threats priority. Distributions 9:89-98. Populations with restricted In 10 days a total of 93.5 person-hours Gagliardo, R. 2004. Report of ranges are more susceptible to local were logged and a total of 12 streams Rainmaker Conservation Project. were thoroughly surveyed. No new extinction than widespread populations because a stochastic event can alter or Lips, K. R., D. E. Green, and R. populations of A. varius were discovered Papendick. 2003. Chytridiomycosis in but, due to limited time, adjacent valleys destroy one restricted habitat. In this population there is a serious threat of a wild frogs from southern Costa Rica. and watersheds were not surveyed and Journal of Herpetology 37:215-218. there remain a large number of landslide that could inundate the section Lips, K. R., J. D. Reeve, and L. R. unexplored streams in the mountain of stream inhabited by these frogs.