Eye of Newt. Researchers find that newts are capable of regenerating body parts well into old age. The humble newt has fascinated biologists for more than two hundred years. These amphibians, with their amazing and oft-cited ability to regrow lost body parts, have attracted the attention of regeneration researchers: cut off a newt’s tail or a leg, or remove a lens from its eye, and it grows back. However, whether newts can continue to do this throughout their lives, or lose the ability as they get older, has remained a mystery. Now, in an experiment spanning 16 years, Goro Eguchi of the Shokei Educational Institution, Japan, and Panagiotis Tsonis at the University of Dayton, Ohio, have discovered that newts can regenerate missing parts well into old age.
Newts do not thrive in laboratories over long periods of time; some species do not take to captivity at all, and for those that do, tanks have to be cleaned and water changed almost daily. See the full slideshow. Forget Seismologists: We Should Be Using Toads to Predict Earthquakes. The Origin of the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus. The amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis: Bd) is the cause of the most spectacular loss of vertebrate biodiversity in recorded history.
To date, at least 200 species have been driven extinct and hundreds more have suffered major declines. Even amphibians within the world's best protected ecosystems have been hard-hit, including California's mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa, Rana sierrae). This amphibian pathogen appears to have emerged in just the last 50 years, subsequently spreading around the world at lightning speed.
So, where did Bd come from and what allowed its recent emergence? These are questions that researchers have asked since its description in 1999. Using the best available methods, molecular biologists from around the world have slowly but surely been zeroing in on the answers. A just-published paper by Farrer et al. now advances this story even further. The citation for the latest paper is as follows: Farrer, R.
Salamanders Used as Fishing Bait Linked to Amphibian Disease Epidemics - Part 1 | That Reptile Blog. Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Shocking as it may be to anyone with even a passing awareness of conservation issues, tiger salamander larvae (Ambystoma tigrinum) are still widely used as fishing bait throughout much of the USA. Run through with hooks while alive, the 6-10 inch amphibians are wildly popular with anglers seeking bass, pickerel and other fishes. Disease and the Bait Trade Recently (April, 2009), biologists at the National Science Foundation announced that a significant percentage of larvae in the bait trade have tested positive for the deadly Chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.
Herpetologists are working feverishly to control its spread, but are as yet unable to understand why the fungus has become such a devastating problem in recent years. Virulent ranaviruses, which quickly kill many amphibians, have also been identified in larvae sold in bait shops in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Hybridization Getting Involved Further Reading Image referenced from morguefile. Half of Europe's frogs and toads face extinction in 40 years, 'terrifying' study shows. Dwarf mountain toads and the ones with the doughnut-headed tadpoles | Tetrapod Zoology. Cladogram based on Van Bocxlaer et al. (2010). Click to enlarge. As you’ll know if you’ve been following Tet Zoo for any length of time, I’ve been slowly working my way through the toads of the world for the past few years – yes, all of them, more or less.
Seeing as there are about 540 living toad species, this may take a while. I’m currently dealing with that section of the cladogram that seems pretty much dominated by African lineages [the adjacent cladogram - a massively simplified version of the one generated by Van Bocxlaer et al. (2010) - is shown here]. Different studies have produced somewhat different cladograms, but there’s some support for what I’ve been calling the ‘African clade’ [note its position in the adjacent cladogram].
Recent articles introduced the concept of the ‘African clade’ and also covered the 20-chromosome toads. Here, we embark on a look at more members of the ‘African clade’… The dwarf mountain toads The one with the doughnut-headed tadpoles Refs – - Frost, D. Salamander Study Enlists New York City Seventh Graders. Richard Perry/The New York Times Students from Mark Twain I.S. 239 studied salamanders on Staten Island this week.
“Don’t grab him by the tail,” warned another. “I think he’s scared,” said a third. The students were gathered around a red-backed salamander deep in the woods on Staten Island. New York City used to be salamander central, but while the red-backed salamander still thrives under rocks and logs, other species have disappeared. The tiger salamander was gone by the 1930s, the marbled salamander by the 1970s. Concern about their decline in the area is not merely academic. So in an ambitious citizen-science project, the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation has enlisted scores of seventh graders from public and private schools to study salamanders in the wild — or what passes for the wild in New York.
On a crisp fall day, five large groups of students fanned out to parks in four boroughs, with the group led by Ms. “They actually have a big impact on forest ecology. Chytrid Fungus: Hope for Fighting Deadly Amphibian Disease | Frogs Are Green. Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered a freshwater organism that might help in fighting the chytrid fungus, which is a principal cause for the worldwide amphibian decline. A freshwater species of zooplankton, called Daphnia magna, could provide a tool for biological control of the deadly fungus whose impact, one researcher has called “the most spectacular loss of vertebrate biodiversity due to disease in recorded history.” Daphnia magna is a variety of water fleas of the genus Daphnia, some species of which are commonly used as food for aquarium fish.
It was known that the zooplankton could devour some types of fungi. Oregon researchers wanted to find out whether Daphnia magna could also consume the chytrid fungus that has been devastating amphibian populations worldwide, including Colorado’s endangered boreal toad. Through extensive research, scientists confirmed that Daphnia magna could consume the free swimming spores of the fungal pathogen. Possible biological control discovered for pathogen devastating amphibians | News & Research Communications. The study this story is based on is available online: CORVALLIS, Ore. - Zoologists at Oregon State University have discovered that a freshwater species of zooplankton will eat a fungal pathogen which is devastating amphibian populations around the world. This tiny zooplankton, called Daphnia magna, could provide a desperately needed tool for biological control of this deadly fungus, the scientists said, if field studies confirm its efficacy in a natural setting.
The fungus, B. dendrobatidis, is referred to as a “chytrid” fungus, and when it reaches high levels can disrupt electrolyte balance and lead to death from cardiac arrest in its amphibian hosts. One researcher has called its impact on amphibians “the most spectacular loss of vertebrate biodiversity due to disease in recorded history.” The research, reported today in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, was supported by the National Science Foundation. 27 Wonderful Images of Frogs. Blog Posts by Mike Panic By Mike Panic on in Cool Photos, Featured [ 13 Comments ] Frogs have always kind of fascinated me, ever since going to the zoo as a child. I’ve never wanted to have them as pets, mostly because the really vibrant ones are poisonous, but how the evolve from tadpole to frog and the overall characteristics of them just seems so fascinating. I hope you enjoy these 27 wonderful images of frogs as much as we do.
Photo by ucumari Photo by jacki-dee Photo by ucumari Photo by Thomas Hawk Photo by fabiogis50 computer troubles !!! Photo by rainforest_harley Photo by law_keven Photo by Twin Peaks Photo by atomicshark Photo by ucumari Photo by Tambako the Jaguar Photo by Cesar R. Photo by jerryhsu2k Photo by Prosper973 Photo by albyper Photo by dotlizard Photo by ROQUE141 Photo by onkel_wart (off/line) Photo by Tambako the Jaguar Photo by teejaybee Photo by AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker Photo by Mauro Luna Photo by dotlizard Photo by CzechR Photo by Stephan Roletto Photo by aftab.
Photo by RunnerJenny. Crisis in the Amphibian World | The Animal House from WAMU 88.5. I Confess: I'm Jealous Of Frogs, Lizards And Salamanders Because Of Their Stem Cells. I confess. I'm jealous of frogs, lizards and salamanders. Why? Because of their stem cells and transdifferentiation potential. Compared to them, us humans are pathetic in terms of our ability to heal ourselves, regenerate body structures, and change our bodies. I was out taking a hike here in Yolo County today along Putah Creek. I saw an interesting looking spotted frog and took a picture with a zoom lens. This frog had a tail! You see this was no grown frog, but was somewhere in between a tadpole and a mature frog. I am always amazed at how frogs undergo such a dramatic metamorphosis, some of which is driven by stem cells. The lizards crawling all over the place at Putah Creek and elsewhere are also amazing because if something is chasing them and grabs onto their tail, they can drop it off and regrow a new one!
At best humans can regrow the tip of their finger if it gets cut off or part of our liver if we drink too much on a regular basis or get hepatitis. Weak humans! The Face of a Frog: Time-Lapse Video Reveals Never-Before-Seen Bioelectric Pattern. Newswise — MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. --For the first time, Tufts University biologists have reported that bioelectrical signals are necessary for normal head and facial formation in an organism and have captured that process in a time-lapse video that reveals never-before-seen patterns of visible bioelectrical signals outlining where eyes, nose, mouth, and other features will appear in an embryonic tadpole.
The Tufts research with accompanying video and photographs will appear July 18 online in advance of publication in the journal Developmental Dynamics. The Tufts biologists found that, before the face of a tadpole develops, bioelectrical signals (ion flux) cause groups of cells to form patterns marked by different membrane voltage and pH levels. When stained with a reporter dye, hyperpolarized (negatively charged) areas shine brightly, while other areas appear darker, creating an "electric face. " Tufts Post Doctoral Associate Laura N. Scientific Serendipity Comment/Share. Rainbow toad: Found after 87 years, first photo ever. India's most wanted -- frogs. A few weeks ago, Dr SD Biju, an eminent Indian amphibian researcher, was leading volunteers in the forests surrounding Mirik Lake in Darjeeling, West Bengal. They were on the lookout for frogs belonging to that region.
Here, it's not habitat destruction that has led to the frogs' disappearance, but the fact that locals comsume them. This is only one of the few obstacles faced by this team that functions under the umbrella organisation Lost Amphibians of India (LAI), launched in November 2010 with the plan to travel the country to rediscover India's 'lost' amphibians. Sadly, over 50 species of amphibians in India, mostly frogs and caecilians, are thought to have gone extinct, since noone has seen them for 10 years. Some have not been seen for 18, others for 169 years. The figures are dire when one considers that about 60 per cent of Indian amphibians are not found anywhere else in the world. He thinks the reason is habitat loss. But results are emerging. Ants VS Frogs. Meat ants also known as meat-eater ants or gravel ants, are a species of ant belonging to the Iridomyrmex genus. Meat Ants are quite the large ants, with long legs and large head.
Their abdomen is black in colour with dark red head. Their nest is in soil on ground. Meat Ants are general predators and scavengers, they also tend soft-bug, such as aphids, to collect honeydew.They can be found throughout Australia. Recently it has been found that Australian meat ants could become foot soldiers in a war against cane toads. Scientists have discovered that the placement of cat food next to the habitats of young cane toads increases the likelihood of meat ants going on a murderous rampage. Newts able to regenerate body parts indefinitely - life - 12 July 2011. See gallery: "Do it again: Round-up of regenerating animals" They are the phoenix of the ponds. Newts have a remarkable ability to regenerate body parts – in this case the lenses in their eyes – time and time again.
Over a 16-year period, Panagiotis Tsonis at the University of Dayton, Ohio, and colleagues removed the lenses of six Japanese newts (Cynops pyrrhogaster) 18 times. After each excision, the lenses regenerated. They did so not from remaining lens tissue, but from pigment epithelial cells in the upper part of the iris. By the end of the study the newts were 30 years old, five years older than their average lifespan in the wild. Even so, the regenerated lenses from the last two excisions were indistinguishable from lenses of 14-year-old adults that had never regenerated a lens. Importantly, the expression of key genes involved in lens formation was identical. Tsonis says the regenerative abilities may be down to efficient DNA repair. More From New Scientist More from the web. Salamanders spell out evolution in action. Lungless salamanders (Ensatina eschscholtzii) live in a horseshoe-shape region in California (a 'ring') which circles around the central valley.
The species is an example of evolution in action because, while neighboring populations may be able to breed, the two populations at the ends of the arms of the horseshoe are effectively unable to reproduce. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology showed that this reproductive isolation was driven by genetic divergence rather than adaption to different ecological habitats. Researchers used genetic variation to determine 20 distinct populations of salamanders and focused in detail at 13 zones where the populations were able to cross breed. Results showed that the diversification of salamander populations was associated with significant genetic divergence, both nuclear and mitochondrial, and also with strong ecological divergence, in the plants and climate within their habitats.
Frog feet could solve a sticky problem | Science Blog. Tree frogs have specially adapted self-cleaning feet which could have practical applications for the medical industry. “Tree frog feet may provide a design for self-cleaning sticky surfaces, which could be useful for a wide range of products especially in contaminating environments – medical bandages, tyre performance, and even long lasting adhesives,” says researcher, Niall Crawford at the University of Glasgow who will be presenting this work at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Glasgow on 3rd of July, 2011.
Tree frogs have sticky pads on their toes that they use to cling on in difficult situations, but until now it was unclear how they prevent these pads from picking up dirt. “Interestingly the same factors that allow tree frogs to cling on also provide a self cleaning service. To make their feet sticky tree frogs secrete mucus, they can then increase their adhesion by moving their feet against the surface to create friction. Breathing Life into an Extinct Species: Ancient DNA Cracks the Case.
Scientist leading drive to save frogs | Otago Daily Times Online News Keep Up to Date Local, National New Zealand & International News. Salamander Decline Found In Central America. Smallest Andean frog discovered in cloud forests of Peru. Frogs are an important food source for people in parts of Madagascar. Amphibians May Develop Immunity To Fatal Fungus. PHOTOS: Rainbow Hues of Amphibian "Worms" Demystified. Dwarf In The Elfin Forests: Tiniest Frog In South America’s Andes Mountains.
Tiny frogs and giant spiders: the best of friends : Tetrapod Zoology. 'Horror frog' breaks own bones to produce claws - life - 28 May 2008. Imminent extinction of Archey’s frogs « Frog Matters. Frog Matters. Livingunderworld.org - A web project about amphibians. AmphibiaWeb. Amphibian Species of the World.