Frog Population Estimates May Be Inaccurate (ReptileChannel August 2nd 2010)
A new study shows that frog population estimates may be inaccurate.
The largest amphibian monitoring program in the United States, created by the U.S. Geological Survey, may be flawed, according to a new study from North Carolina State University.
Amphibian species are sensitive to environmental changes, such as pollution, and scientists monitor their populations to identify potential environmental problems.
Created by the USGS in the 1990s, the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program uses a network of citizen volunteers across the nation to identify local amphibian species by their breeding vocalizations or calls. Volunteers enter the data they collect into the NAAMP database, providing information on the species found and population estimates.
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Frog Population Estimates May Be Inaccurate
Last edited by John; August 4th, 2010 at 09:24 PM.
Sorry what was the point of that? I read it Iam a bit out of the loop(don't understand). Explain? All I get is that there may be less frogs than it appears---which is somewhat obvious. I go out trying to go frog hunting. I dont find as many frogs as I used to 5years ago(i miss those days). Same would it be 5 years ago I would have found less frogs and toads than I would 5 years before that(when I was younger)
The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) has been collecting data on frog populations, but this study is pointing out that these data are flawed. NAAMP uses volunteers, who have to study local frog calls and pass a quiz with a certain percentage of correct identifications, to collect these data. The issue is that many volunteers are getting it wrong, and are indicating that certain species are calling when they are not. NAAMP's volunteer screening process isn't effective.
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