Insights into the impacts of three current environmental problems on Amphibians

Abstract

Global warming, light pollution and noise are common human-induced environmental problems that are escalating at a high rate. Their consequences on wildlife have mostly been overlooked, with the exception of a few species with respect to climate change. The problems often occur simultaneously and exert their negative effects together at the same time. In other words, their impacts are combined. Studies have never focused on more than one problem, and so, such combined effects have never been understood properly. The review addresses this lacuna in the case of amphibians, which are a highly vulnerable group. It divides the overall impacts of the problems into seven categories (behaviour, health, movement, distribution, phenology, development and reproductive success) and then assesses their combined impact through statistical analyses. It revealed that amphibian calling is the most vulnerable aspect to the combined impacts. This could provide important input for conservation of amphibians.

Advancing Amphibian Conservation through Citizen Science in Urban Municipalities

“…Urban areas present specific challenges to amphibian survival. Challenges include habitat loss from removal of wetlands and upland terrestrial habitat, fragmentation of habitat and dispersal routes by road networks and the built environment, habitat degradation from urban pollutants and introduced predatory fish species, and altered breeding, feeding, and movement behaviours in the presence of light and/or sound pollution [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Despite these challenges, amphibian species are reported in urban areas globally, although many are declining [12,[17][18][19][20].…”