# 'Fewer leaves' behind frog demise



## Tookay (Jul 20, 2006)

Don't know if this has already been posted, but thought it would be of interest here.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6564329.stm


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

Hmmm that's interesting..... Thanks for the link


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## melissa68 (Feb 16, 2004)

Interesting link, thank you for sharing it.

Melissa


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Interesting...


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

Quite interesting. Not sure I buy it though. Correllation does not imply causation. I've been to La Selva and it's in no way barren of leave litter (I know that's not what it's saying, but there seems to be plenty). La Selva is a preserve surrounded by farmland. I'm more curious if that has an effect on the herpetofauna.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

really, it all boils down to global warming. 

I'm somewhat hopeful this IS the cause (more than chytrid) because at least we could maybe restore some of the leaf litter. With chytrid, we could not get rid of it and reintroduced animals would get infected all over again.


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## bluedart (Sep 5, 2005)

The issue with the leaf litter is the rate of decomposition. The higher temperatures are causing microfloral and microfauna booms. Various fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms are increasing in number and are decomposing the leaflitter at an increased rate. Adding more leaf litter wouldn't really help a whole lot because it would just get decomposed with time.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

It's happening here too...don't know about specific animal decline, but due to escaped or dumped nightcrawlers (that are non-native), the leaf litter in the oak forests that used to be halfway to you're knees is now usually barely to the top of you're shoes...

I am very certain that is going to cause major change in the forests in the years to come.


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## bluedart (Sep 5, 2005)

Dancing frogs said:


> It's happening here too...don't know about specific animal decline, but due to escaped or dumped nightcrawlers (that are non-native), the leaf litter in the oak forests that used to be halfway to you're knees is now usually barely to the top of you're shoes...
> 
> I am very certain that is going to cause major change in the forests in the years to come.


Huh--I didn't know that nightcrawlers were the cause of that...
Crazy.


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## Jason (Oct 14, 2004)

bluedart
Huh--I didn't know that nightcrawlers were the cause of that...
Crazy.[/quote]
Check out this article from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources regarding nightcrawlers.
[url="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialanimals/earthworms/index.html said:


> http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/te ... index.html[/url]
> 
> Jason


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