Amphibians role as indicator species disputed by new study

Amphibians such as frogs, long considered a leading indicator of environmental health, are not so susceptible to pollution, according to an analysis to be published in an influential academic journal. Researchers from Washington State University, the University of South Dakota and Yale University reviewed more than 28,000 toxicological tests in studying whether amphibians are as vulnerable as most people think. "The very simple message is that for most of the classes of chemical compounds we looked at, frogs range from being moderately susceptible to being bullet-proof," said David Skelly, professor of ecology at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and a member of the research team. "There are lots of other kinds of environmental threats that have led to their decline, including habitat conversion, harvesting for food and the global spread of the Chytrid fungus, which is mowing down these species in its path."...read more