14. Amphibian Development

Declines in amphibian populations, due primarily to the loss of wetlands, increased ultraviolet radiation, the pollution of breeding sites, and acidic precipitation, have been reported over wide geographic areas. Exploring local habitats to assess the endangerment of amphibians is an important way for students to understand the threats that environmental changes pose on all organisms.

In this chapter, students learn about amphibian development and the specific amphibians in their local area. They then carry out field studies to determine the possible threats to amphibian survival in their area.

Tables of breeding information and developmental stages are included, along with tables for egg identification and identifying frog calls.

Subjects covered include:

Breeding information on salamanders and frogs
Environmental hazards affecting amphibians
Preparing for the field trip
Learning local amphibians
Equipment needed and recording of data
Equipment for pH measurements
What to do on the field trip
How to identify frog species by frog calls
Identifying species by their eggs
Normal amphibian development
Environmental effects on amphibian development
Observations through adopting an egg mass