USGS Frequently Asked Questions
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Question:
Why should we care about these dramatic declines, deformities, and disappearances plaguing many amphibian populations around the world?
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Answer: Amphibians are good indicators of significant environmental changes. Amphibians, unlike people, breathe at least partly through their skin, which is constantly exposed to everything in their environment. Consequently, their bodies are much more sensitive to environmental factors such as disease, pollution, toxic chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, and habitat destruction. The worldwide occurrences of amphibian declines and deformities could be an early warning that some of our ecosystems--even seemingly pristine ones--are seriously out of balance.
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Source of this FAQ:
http://www.usgs.gov/amphibian_faq.html
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey