Virginia Tech biological sciences postdoctoral researcher Traci DuBose wants to ensure no frogs or toads land below conservationists' radar.
For the last two years, DuBose has been measuring the intrinsic sensitivity of species to climate change — a key determinant of extinction vulnerability — in 90 species of anurans, commonly known as frogs and toads. By accessing publicly available data, DuBose and her team evaluated and compared more than 140,000 observations of anurans native to the contiguous United States, making it the first study of this size and scope.
"The United States is home to over 100 species of frogs and toads," said DuBose, a researcher in the Mims Lab at Virginia Tech led by Meryl Mims, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science. "Frog and toad species are great study animals because they live in so many different areas like deserts, marshes, and forests and are very charismatic."
But how does one measure rarity? That's where the benefit of the 140,000 observations come into play. These occurrences hold the key to three important items: what type of animal, as well as when and where the animal was spotted.
Mims said she is optimistic about the scope of DuBose's study and looks forward to building upon its momentum through the continued support from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Equally, DuBose is excited to bring conservation partners into the fold, by using apps to document and share point occurrences, especially if it's a frog or a toad. "In this scenario, everyone wins," said DuBose. "Community scientists who added points to iNaturalist, for instance, can know their data is helping inform species conservation."
