As we have seen, wetlands are incredibly
delicate ecosystems that require constant maintenance and strict preservation
guidelines to ensure its survival. The Chinese
tallow (Triadica sebifera) is an
invasive tree species, notorious for taking over and replacing native wetland
vegetation. The leaf litter produced by
this invasive species has been noted to decrease survival rates of native amphibians. Anuran breeding cycles are highly directed by
weather conditions. Given that the
invasive species is native to China; its leaf fall can be drastically affected
by the varying climate, as well as the recent rising climate change. This
study, done by Daniel Saenz, Erin Fucik, and Matthew Kwiatkowski, aimed to compare
the effects of climate change on the leaf fall of the Chinese tallow, and in
turn, determine the how the timing of said leaf fall alters the survival
ability of Anuran populations.
To
conduct the study, the authors used pools to create five different levels of
tallow leaf litter decomposition (20 pools each for 100 total pools) to
simulate the differential timing of leaf fall.
The southern leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus) was chosen as the
subject due to its wide distribution across Texas, their area of focus. L. sphenocephalus larvae were placed in the
pools and their physiological conditions and survival rates were recorded. The characteristics of the water such as pH,
salinity levels, etc. were also recorded for each level of decomposition to see
the chemical composition of the water played a factor.
The results showed that the
pools with more decomposed leaf litter (levels 1,2 and 3) had a much higher
tadpole survival rate than levels 4 and 5 that had leaf litter with little
decomposition. It was found that these
two pools also had the lowest dissolved oxygen levels and the highest salinity
levels. The pH levels in all of the
treatments were within the normal range of a wetland habitat in the area.
The
authors of this study clearly demonstrated that climate change has a profound
effect on Anuran species. The delayed
shedding of leaves due to the global temperature increase affects the breeding success
of these species. The leaves do not have
enough time to decompose before it is time for the frogs to breed. This results in a lower availability of
oxygen for larvae to exploit, as well as higher saline levels which these
larvae have yet to adapt to tolerate.
Apart from climate change, this study is a prime example of how
devastating invasive species can be to native populations. The native species have not been given a
gradual introduction to which they can adapt, rather the introduced species
abruptly take over the habitat, not giving the native species enough time to
cope with and adapt to the changes. This
study comparing invasive species and climate change to native species gives the
general public insight into how our daily lives have an impact on all living
things. Carelessly introducing species
has the potential to wipe out a common species that we see on a daily basis. Those species that cannot outcompete with the
invading species will ultimately diminish.
With regards to climate change, even the slightest increase (which we
may not deem significant) can, unbeknownst to us, drastically impact other
species. Every decision we make has a
consequence.
-Article published in Web of Science
1 comment:
Very interesting article. It's fascinating (and troubling) that frogs can be harmed by an invasive plant interacting with climate change. I wonder if this complex interaction could have been predicted ahead of time?
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