January 31, 2025
by
The Wildlife Society
Drought will disproportionately affect frogs and toads in the Amazon and Atlantic Rainforest
An international survey of frogs and toads has revealed that global warming and drought are more likely to affect the animals in the Amazon and Atlantic Rainforests. The research published in Nature Climate Change is the most comprehensive study predicting these effects across the planet. “The Amazon and the Atlantic Rainforest are the biomes with the most anuran species and the highest probability of an increase in both the frequency and intensity or duration of drought events,” said Rafael Bovo, an author on the article and a researcher at the University of California, Riverside. “This will be harmful to the physiology and behavior of countless species. These biomes are among the regions of the planet with the greatest diversity of amphibians. Many species only occur in these places.” The researchers also discovered that between 6.6% and 33.6% of frog and toad habitats will suffer from drought by 2080-2100 based on the level of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s important because frogs and toads are sensitive to water loss.
Read the study in Nature Climate Change.
Header Image:
Lesser tree frogs (Dendropsophus minutus) are highly sensitive to water loss. Credit: Rafael Bovo