Friends or Enemies?
Bullfrogs are a mainly dominant species
of their environment. Besides the occasional attack from a
heron or snake, these frogs are the ones causing chaos.
Fish, like the
Northern Pike rarely try to eat bullfrogs because their
toxic skin tastes bad. Usually the bullfrog interacts
within its own species and other species of frogs, bullying each
other for mates and territory. However, the other frogs
try not to get in the way of each other due to the fact that
they could get eaten by one of their own... yikes!
Only in the past decade or so, a
chytrid fungus
called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, has been seen to infect large
populations of the Rana catesbeiana (bullfrog) and other species of
amphibians. The fungus resides in the epidermal layer of skin within the
frogs, usually causing death. The fungus is responsible for drastic
population declines of amphibians during winter seasons. As of 2004, it
has been recorded that at least 9 species of Amphibian and possibly another 113
species are extinct due to this chytrid or habitat loss and pollution. Below is a
picture of the fungus on an arthropod (a.) and an algae (b.).
Answer to joke on
adaptation page:
He gets toad away!