Article Review: Disappearing Snakes and the Biodiversity Crisis

The article, Disappearing Snakes and the Biodiversity Crisis, published by Michigan State University and hosted by Science Daily, highlights the importance of wildlife conservation and the delicate balance of natural ecosystems. The article is based on a study that took place in El Cope, Panama where snake stocks plummeted after a fungal disease eliminated the local frog populations. With frogs being a dietary staple for the region's snakes, both groups have reached critically low numbers. This particular relationship is significant because it shows the cascading effect that the loss of one trophic level can have on an ecosystem. The article extrapolates this particular study to reference the world-wide decline in amphibians resulting from pollution, wetland destruction, and other human activities. It is crucial that we recognize how harming one population inevitably cripples the entire food web not only for frogs and snakes but for all other plants and animals that are being exploited or destroyed.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200213160126.htm