Nobody’s kissing frogs, but a scientist at the University of Ottawa has conjured up a “love potion” that turns conservation into something out of a fairy tale.
The western chorus frog is about the size of a large grape and native to parts of Ontario and western Quebec. It’s been considered a threatened species since 2010.
The tiny amphibians are a crucial part of the ecosystem, according to Vance Trudeau, a professor at the university’s biology department. They provide a source of food for small mammals, and help control mosquito and other insect populations.
The issue is, the frogs often don’t want to pair up in captivity before conservationists can release them into safe environments.
So Trudeau and his team of researchers have developed a hormonal treatment that, when injected into the frogs and some other species of amphibian, induces breeding.
Trudeau describes the frogs’ reticence to breed in captivity as just one barrier to their repopulation.
“It’s one part of a big solution,” he said.
A global effort
The researchers’ work is part of a global push for amphibian conservation. Earlier this month, more than 100 experts published a global amphibian conservation action plan.
According to the plan, amphibians are “the most threatened vertebrate class on earth.” Of all amphibious species in the world, Trudeau said about 40 per cent are threatened.
Vance Trudeau, a professor in the University of Ottawa’s biology department, says he and his team have developed a hormonal treatment to help the western chorus frog breed, with the eventual goal of building the population in the wild.
The scientists identified several threats to the world’s amphibious creatures including disease, pollution and habitat loss, primarily due to urban development.
Trudeau said he hopes his research will also encourage decision-makers to fund conservation areas that are often overlooked.
“People don’t look at wetlands as beautiful kidneys of the planet,” he said. “They look at it as wetlands and mosquitoes.”
While habitat loss is a concern, there are protected areas that are ideal for the frogs once they’ve reproduced. Trudeau pointed to a 2019 development in Gatineau that was halted to protect the local frog population.
Only about 10 per cent of the original chorus frog population remains in the region, according to Trudeau. But protecting the land and coaxing the frogs to breed is helping to change that.
He added that when his lab has released the frogs and caught up with them later, several of the ones that were bred in captivity had become well established in their natural environment. But the creatures aren’t in the clear yet, and will take time to fully repopulate those areas.
While the frogs’ future is still unsure, Trudeau said his research, and the action plan, bring him hope.
“You can’t be a researcher and be a pessimist,” he said.
8:19Ottawa scientist helps frogs reproduce in face of species decline
Frog populations around the world are seeing an alarming population decline. One Ottawa scientist from the University of Ottawa shares how his work is helping endangered frog species recover and the world-wide conservation effort to save the frog.