Issue Date: September 30, 2007

Why we should care if the mountain yellow-legged frog becomes extinct

Saving a species is critical.

Why should we care if a frog becomes extinct?

"Like losing a rivet on an airplane, the extinction of a species weakens the interconnected web of the ecosystem," says Reid Harris of Virginia's James Madison University. "Eventually, the plane can lose enough rivets so the plane falls apart and drops out of the sky. Figuratively, the same thing happens when enough species become extinct and the ecosystem collapses."

Frogs are a link in the food chain for mammals, birds and fish. Their loss can reduce the numbers of other species and, in turn, lead to their extinction. Not to mention the effect on humans: Animals and plants provide substances used in important medical drugs. Frogs, specifically, devour insect pests that devastate food crops.

The species that Harris and Vance Vredenburg of San Francisco State University are trying to save is California's mountain yellow-legged frog. "Unless things start turning around for this frog, it is headed for extinction," Vredenburg says. "Just five years ago, it was possible to see the mountain yellow-legged frog populations with thousands of adults and tens of thousands of tadpoles. Today, that is nearly impossible to find."

A deadly fungus is killing off the frog. The good news: Harris discovered a skin bacteria found on red-backed salamanders abundant in Virginia that may kill the fungus.

-- John K. Borchardt

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