Brown AmphConsEd
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Transcript Brown AmphConsEd
Amphibian
Conservation
Education Project:
Bridging the Gap
between Citizen
Scientists and
Bench Scientists
What is the Amphibian Crisis?
Over 6,000 species of frogs, toads, newts,
salamanders & caecilians in the world
First comprehensive assessment of amphibian
populations conducted in 2004 by IUCN
Concluded that 2,000-3,000 are threatened with
extinction
Why are they disappearing?
Habitat loss
Pollution
Climate change
Diseases
Invasive
species
Over collection
Chytrid Fugus
First detected in an African Clawed Frog,
Xenopus laevis in 1938
African Clawed Frogs were transported
all over the world for use in human
pregnancy testing
Fungus attacks the skin and affects
amphibians ability to
“breathe” through their skin
Why should people care?
Gastric-Brooding Toad
Rheobatrachus silus
Act as exterminators
Vital role in
ecosystem
Indicators of
environmental health
Aid in medical
research and the
pharmaceutical
industry
Cultural importance
Benefits of Amphibian
Conservation Education Project
• Aid herpetologists with labor and time
intensive surveys
• Develop community stewardship
through teachers and students
• Creates awareness of ecological
concerns amphibians face
• Develop inquiry skills and apply skills
to science
Field Work
• Participants collect:
• Habitat description
• Water quality data
• GPS coordinates
• Pictures of the
specimen
• Swab samples to
test for chytrid
Making it relevant
Omaha’s Zoo partnered with The Biofinity
Project
Biofinity was able to quickly configure a user
friendly data repository for the Zoo
Allows data and pictures to be easily
uploaded, stored and visually analyzed
Allows students and herpetologists to track
where amphibian species and Chytrid
fungus are being found throughout the state
Amphibian Database “Administrators” are
able to verify and edit data
Amphibian Database
Biofinity created data fields specific to
amphibian project
Amphibian Database
Google Maps allows students and
herpetologists to visually analyze data
Amphibian Database
Students are able to upload pictures of
amphibians
Allows herpetologists to confirm species
sightings
Project Future
Continue training participants
Introduce database to herpetologists and
gain feedback
Possibly create different querying methods
for users
Tool to search for amphibians that test positive
for Chytrid fungus
The Connection
Through partnerships, OHDZ will
profoundly impact amphibian education
OHDZ is creating partnerships with one
common goal; to preserve these species
so that future generations can
“Appreciate the Little Things”
Resources
www.omahazoo.com
biofinity.unl.edu/biofinity/HDZ/amphibian/
www.saveafrog.org
www.globalamphibians.org
www.amphibians.org
www.amphibiaweb.org
References
IUCN, Conservation International and NatureServe. 2008. An Analysis
of Amphibians on the 2008 IUCN Red List
<www.iucnredlist.org/amphibians>. Downloaded on 8 September
2010.