Can I use this leaf litter?

[Molch]

My dog and I collected some nice leaf litter while skiing in the mountains today. The dry leaves got blown around by the wind and collected in small hollows in the snow. Don't laugh, but it's a big deal to find nice accumulations of leaves around here this time of year.

They are willow leaves with a bit of alder mixed in; perfectly dried by the Arctic wind. Are they safe to use in a frog vivarium?

[Molch]

bumpety-bump....anyone? Is willow/alder leaf litter safe?

[Leefrogs]

I beleive frog deseases don't die with the cold. Cytrid* for one, thrives in local ecology, even though it hasn't caused mass frog death, it is still present. If u could bleach, boil or bake it would be ok. Then u have problem of drying them out again, or them setting on fire in your oven. I've heard of microwaving, but I wouldn't know how long to set it to.

[Molch]

I beleive frog deseases don't die with the cold. Cytrid* for one, thrives in local ecology, even though it hasn't caused mass frog death, it is still present. If u could bleach, boil or bake it would be ok. Then u have problem of drying them out again, or them setting on fire in your oven. I've heard of microwaving, but I wouldn't know how long to set it to.

well, there are no wild amphibian populations within a hundreds of miles of where I live - so in that regard, I'm not worried. I was wondering about harmful tannins etc from the leaves...

[Leefrogs]

I don't know. But on frog matters wild press map it shows alaska has had mass deaths on chytrid map. Maybe u haven't seen any frogs because they all died already

[Molch]

I live in the Arctic - there aren't nor ever have been any amphibian populations around here. The closest would be wood frogs in interior Alaska. And I haven't heard of any mass deaths due to Chytrid. It's a concern, as everywhere, but I haven't heard that.

[Kurt]

And neither have I. Also don't bleach leaves. Bake or boil only. As far as how safe the leaves you have, personally I have no clue.

[Leefrogs]

seriously kurt, I wouldn't say it if there wasn't a map. Granted it's from 2007, but valid, Go2= frogmatters.world press.com by nature mag. Alaska is in the red which means confirmed chytrid deaths.

[Molch]

here is that map:
Chytrid map, courtesy Nature magazine « Frog Matters

all it says is that chytrid fungus was detected and "associated with mortalities"; it doesn't say anything about mass deaths.

There are amphibian populations in southeast Alaska; that's probably where chytrid was found.

[tjtreefrog]

Chytrid has almost wiped-out the Boreal toad in Alaska. http://www.nps.gov/gaar/naturescienc...n-declines.htm

[Molch]

I know of the decine of the boreal toad, but I don't think it has been conclusively attributed to Chytrid. A quote from the above article:

"Along the coast of Alaska, boreal toads—Alaska’s only toad species—have gone from abundant to almost non-existent in less than ten years. The cause remains uncertain, but biologists have found boreal toads in southeast Alaska and in other states that died from the chytrid fungus."

There have been so many drastic changes in Alaska ecosystems due to climate change, and amphibians are very poorly studied up here. Chytrid may have only been a contributer with other causes more pronounced.