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| Infection with trematodes in this leopard frog caused extra legs to grow. (Credit: Pieter Johnson, courtesy of Oregon State University) |
"Science Daily" posted an interesting article today that caught my eye. This article is introduced by saying, "Climate change, habitat destruction, pollution and invasive species are
all involved in the global crisis of amphibian declines and extinctions..." It is known that amphibians have been hosts to infectious diseases, but, in recent decades, there have been more deaths of amphibians due to disease. Andrew Blaustein, a professor of zoology at Oregon State University, says that "in the face of pollution, a
reduced immune response, climate change, evolving pathogens and many
other stresses in such a short period of time, many species now simply
can't survive." Currently, the rate of extinction, the article notes, is 200 times the previously known extinction rates for amphibians. Nowadays, it seems impossible to rid the planet of all the pollution and destruction we have done to it, but all we have to do is start now. If we do not start taking control of the pollution problem, more amphibians, and other animals, will die at a faster rate. And in the future it will not just be the animals that are dying at a faster rate. People can start small with reducing the pollution by just riding a bike to school, rather than driving their cars. It will save the animals, as noted in this article, before the problem gets any worse.
How do we stop the pollution problem from getting any worse?
How can we save the animals from the increasing rate of extinction?
It's upsetting that animals must face the repercussions and ramifications of man made technology. I believe people are ignorant of the effects pollution has on our environment and wildlife, and drastic changes need to be implemented if we want to curtail the rate of extinction in endangered animal species or plant species. I believe by creating laws that require certain industries such as the automobile industry to build more economic friendly cars, cars that would reduce CO2 emissions would greatly help improve our environment, also we need to be doing more in search for alternative sources of fuel and energy that would reduce the output of pollution.
ReplyDeleteYou impose great questions. America is a greedy nation; as long as the industries that pollute the air the most are booming we will forever have this problem. They aren't concerned about the animals nor humans. I posted a blog earlier today about biofuel energy which seems to me a better source of energy that doesn't pollute the earth as much.
ReplyDeleteWhile I think it is possible to stop pollution from getting any worse, simply by getting companies to control their output of hazardous materials, I don't see that happening. The reason for this is that this would cost money for the companies that produce these materials, either by forcing them to cut back on their production, or by somehow transforming the hazardous elements produced into harmless material. When it comes to killing Amphibians I don't think that the people who have these creature's best interests at heart have enough political or financial pull to force these companies to change.
ReplyDelete