Comments on: Humans absolved of blame in limbless frogs mystery http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/technology/humans-absolved-of-blame-in-limbless-frogs-mystery/ Movies, Music, TV, Video Games, and More Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:27:59 +0000 hourly 1 By: Mike http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/technology/humans-absolved-of-blame-in-limbless-frogs-mystery/comment-page-1/#comment-12098 Mike Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:47:35 +0000 http://blastmagazine.com/?p=20145#comment-12098 The study by Ballengee and Sessions puts forward an interesting potential explanation for some types of frog deformities. Unfortunately, their research fails to live up to the media hype; it does not solve the mystery of deformed frogs. In the laboratory, they found that some dragonfly larvae will remove limbs of tadpoles. However, Ballengee and Sessions did not actually test the predictions of the dragonfly hypothesis with rigorous data from the field. For example, a clear prediction of their hypothesis is that as the frequency of dragonfly larvae in wetlands increases, the frequency of missing-limb deformities in those wetlands is also expected to increase. Ballengee and Sessions did not test this prediction. Testing such predictions is a fundamental component of science. Until there are well-designed studies that examine the relationship between dragonfly density and frogs with missing limbs in nature, the relative importance of the role of predation in amphibian deformities will remain unknown. The study by Ballengee and Sessions puts forward an interesting potential explanation for some types of frog deformities. Unfortunately, their research fails to live up to the media hype; it does not solve the mystery of deformed frogs. In the laboratory, they found that some dragonfly larvae will remove limbs of tadpoles. However, Ballengee and Sessions did not actually test the predictions of the dragonfly hypothesis with rigorous data from the field. For example, a clear prediction of their hypothesis is that as the frequency of dragonfly larvae in wetlands increases, the frequency of missing-limb deformities in those wetlands is also expected to increase. Ballengee and Sessions did not test this prediction. Testing such predictions is a fundamental component of science. Until there are well-designed studies that examine the relationship between dragonfly density and frogs with missing limbs in nature, the relative importance of the role of predation in amphibian deformities will remain unknown.

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]]> By: Kevin http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/technology/humans-absolved-of-blame-in-limbless-frogs-mystery/comment-page-1/#comment-11416 Kevin Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:36:08 +0000 http://blastmagazine.com/?p=20145#comment-11416 Sigh. We are so quick to grasp at any opportunity to 'absolve' ourselves of responsibility and scoff at those 'fear mongering environmentalists.' It's the option that allows us to continue with our bad behaviors and feel the least amount of responsibility and guilt for our actions. But anyone who takes an in-depth consideration of this topic will see that there is so much more involved than just fish nibbling on tadpoles, and that perhaps "each of us is [indeed] personally responsible for slowly but surely ruining the entire planet." Can, as Sessions et al. suggest, fish predation cause missing limbs? Of course. No one ever said that wasn't one of the causes. But it is not the explanation for all or even most missing limbs or, as the blogger rightly points out, multiple limbs. Most missing limbs and deformations are the cause of a natural parasite, as again the blogger rightly states. However, that parasite (and resultant deformities) is made unnaturally more abundant by human activities, including the pollution of wetlands and waterways with fertilizer that causes blooms in algae and booms in snail populations, including snails that act as a host for the deformity-inducing parasite. Read for yourself http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12687-frog-deformities-linked-to-farm-pollution.html. The blogger (and anyone interested in the truth) would do well to read this comprehensive book on the subject http://www.amazon.com/Malformed-Frogs-Collapse-Aquatic-Ecosystems/dp/0520255887/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247667048&sr=8-1. There is no doubt that humans are behind the majority of amphibian deformations. We are also the cause of the modern day amphibian extinction crisis. Did you know we are on the verge of losing between one third and one half of this group of animals, a group that has been around so long they watched the dinosaurs come and go? Amphibians are a fundamental component of healthy ecosystems, sensitive indicators of environmental health, and vital contributors to human health. We would do well to take a little responsibility for these animals, for all living things, including ourselves. There is no alternative to a healthy planet. Sigh. We are so quick to grasp at any opportunity to ‘absolve’ ourselves of responsibility and scoff at those ‘fear mongering environmentalists.’ It’s the option that allows us to continue with our bad behaviors and feel the least amount of responsibility and guilt for our actions. But anyone who takes an in-depth consideration of this topic will see that there is so much more involved than just fish nibbling on tadpoles, and that perhaps “each of us is [indeed] personally responsible for slowly but surely ruining the entire planet.” Can, as Sessions et al. suggest, fish predation cause missing limbs? Of course. No one ever said that wasn’t one of the causes. But it is not the explanation for all or even most missing limbs or, as the blogger rightly points out, multiple limbs. Most missing limbs and deformations are the cause of a natural parasite, as again the blogger rightly states. However, that parasite (and resultant deformities) is made unnaturally more abundant by human activities, including the pollution of wetlands and waterways with fertilizer that causes blooms in algae and booms in snail populations, including snails that act as a host for the deformity-inducing parasite. Read for yourself http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12687-frog-deformities-linked-to-farm-pollution.html. The blogger (and anyone interested in the truth) would do well to read this comprehensive book on the subject http://www.amazon.com/Malformed-Frogs-Collapse-Aquatic-Ecosystems/dp/0520255887/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247667048&sr=8-1. There is no doubt that humans are behind the majority of amphibian deformations. We are also the cause of the modern day amphibian extinction crisis. Did you know we are on the verge of losing between one third and one half of this group of animals, a group that has been around so long they watched the dinosaurs come and go? Amphibians are a fundamental component of healthy ecosystems, sensitive indicators of environmental health, and vital contributors to human health. We would do well to take a little responsibility for these animals, for all living things, including ourselves. There is no alternative to a healthy planet.

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