Smithsonian Science » endangered species

New frog species pose challenge for conservation project in Panama

John Barrat — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:06:04 +0000

The recent discovery of what may be three new frog species by researchers in Panama illustrates the hope and fear encountered daily by the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project. The discoveries lead to hope that project researchers can save these animals from a deadly fungus killing frogs worldwide and the fear that many species will go extinct before scientists even know they exist.

Photo right: One of the three potentially new species appears to be a robber frog, genus Craugastor, shown here. The unique skin folds on its arms and feet distinguish it from other closely related species. Robber frogs are especially susceptible to chytrid. (Photos by Brian Gratwicke, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

“It is disturbing to witness the disappearance of species that some of us only recently described and even more devastating to lose those we know are probably new species,” said Roberto Ibáñez, local director of the project and a scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, one of nine project partners, including the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. “Scientists are just starting to investigate the ecological impact of the loss of amphibians, and while we’re aiming to preserve some of these species, we already know it will be impossible to save them all.”

Nearly one-third of all amphibian species globally are at the risk of going extinct. The rescue project aims to save more than 20 species of frogs in Panama, which is one of the world’s last strongholds for amphibian biodiversity. While the global amphibian crisis is the result of habitat loss, climate change and pollution, the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus is likely at least partly responsible for the disappearances of 94 of the 120 frog species that are thought to have gone extinct since 1980.

Photo left: Two of the three potentially new species is a rain frog from the genus Pristimantis. The species pictured here has a bright red stomach that is uncharacteristic for rain frogs, earning it the nickname “red tomato.”

Although it can take years to determine that a species is new to science, project researchers have identified some telltale signs indicating that the three species found in eastern Panama are, indeed, new. The first two are rain frogs from the genus Pristimantis. One of these species has a bright red stomach that is uncharacteristic for rain frogs, earning it the nickname “red tomato.” The second species is much larger than any known Pristimantis in the region. The third frog species appears to be a robber frog, genus Craugastor, but unique skin folds on its arms and feet distinguish it from other closely related species. Robber frogs are especially susceptible to chytrid.

A new study by Andrew Crawford, a STRI research associate, and colleagues reveals that many frog species at a site in western Panama have gone extinct before researchers knew they existed. The project’s three potentially new species are evidence of the same story playing out right now in the mountains of eastern Panama. Researchers have brought a handful of animals of each species back to the Summit Municipal Park in Panama City, Panama, where the project has turned used shipping containers into amphibian rescue pods.

“We are doing our best to salvage what we can, but we are in urgent need of funding to build capacity in Panama to house all of these chytrid refugees,” said Brian Gratwicke, a National Zoo research biologist and the international coordinator for the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project. “The species is the basic unit of conservation, so these discoveries are rewarding, but that comes with the daunting responsibility of deciding how we look after them. We already have a huge job, and it just gets bigger with every discovery.”

Now project scientists will use collections of frogs from the same region at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum and elsewhere to determine if these species are genuinely new or if they have already been discovered (or “described”) elsewhere. The project has also collected tissue sample to use DNA testing to map out the animals’ closest genetic relatives.

“Finding a new species is like discovering a new Pablo Picasso,” said Gratwicke. “Each species is a priceless creation painted with the brushstrokes of natural selection on the canvas of DNA and has something of value to offer. We might not know how they’re valuable to us right now, but if they go extinct, we lose the opportunity to learn what secrets they hold.”

The mission of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project is to rescue amphibian species that are in extreme danger of extinction throughout Panama. The project’s efforts and expertise are focused on establishing assurance colonies and developing methodologies to reduce the impact of the amphibian chytrid fungus so that one day captive amphibians may be re-introduced to the wild. Project participants include Africam Safari, Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Defenders of Wildlife, El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center, Houston Zoo, Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Summit Municipal Park and Zoo New England.

Japanese giant salamanders given to the National Zoo by Asa Zoological Park in Hiroshima

John Barrat — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:48:31 +0000

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo recently acquired Japanese giant salamanders given to the Zoo by the City of Hiroshima Asa Zoological Park. This donation will be the foundation of a new long-term breeding program in the United States and may play an important role in saving amphibians around the globe. “Our Japanese colleagues at the Asa Zoo have successfully applied decades of work and science to Japanese giant salamanders in the field and at their zoo,” said Dennis Kelly, director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park. “It is an honor for the National Zoo to be entrusted with the offspring from their efforts, and we look forward to collaborating with them to save this magnificent species.”

Japanese giant salamanders live in cold, fast-flowing streams in Japan. Their numbers have been greatly reduced over the years because of agricultural development and habitat modification.

Photo left: Rick Quintero (left), the primary Japanese giant salamander keeper at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, feeds the Zoo’s new juvenile salamanders for Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki (right). Fujisaki was at the Zoo on July 22 to help celebrate the arrival of the salamanders, a gift from the City of Hiroshima Asa Zoological Park. (Mehgan Murphy photo)

“In conserving salamanders, we conserve the ecosystems in which they live,” said Ed Bronikowski, senior curator at the Zoo. “People share those same ecosystems, so what is good for the salamanders is good for many species, including us. We hope our visitors will learn from this generous gift to embrace our own diverse native salamander populations and protect healthy ecosystems for all.”

The National Zoo has experience caring for Japanese giant salamanders since as early as 1940, but with this gift, the Zoo hopes to become the first in the United States to successfully breed this species, which has not been bred outside of Japan in at least 100 years.

During the donation ceremony on July 22, kids from Great Falls Elementary School in Great Falls, Virginia were present to help name one male salamander. The students were asked to choice between two names selected by the ambassador – Hiro, derived from Hiroshima, the salamanders’ home in Japan and Asa, of the City of Hiroshima Asa Zoological Park. Hiro won the student’s vote! –Jessica Porter

Meet the Scientist: Dr. JoGayle Howard of the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park

John Barrat — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:22:19 +0000

Scientists find excess nitrogen favors plants that respond poorly to rising CO2

John Barrat — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:09:21 +0000

As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, so does the pressure on the plant kingdom. The hope among policymakers, scientists and concerned citizens is that plants will absorb some of the extra CO2 and mitigate the impacts of climate change. For a few decades now, researchers have hypothesized about one major roadblock: nitrogen.

Photo right: Scientist Adam Langley sprays plants in a test chamber with nitrogen. The additional nutrients changed the composition of the plants inside the chamber, spurring the growth of grasses that respond weakly to elevated levels of CO2.

Plants build their tissue primarily with the CO2 they take up from the atmosphere. The more they get, the faster they tend to grow—a phenomenon known as the “CO2 fertilization effect.” However, plants that photosynthesize greater amounts of CO2 will also need higher doses of other key building blocks, especially nitrogen. The general consensus has been that if plants get more nitrogen, there will be a larger CO2 fertilization effect. Not necessarily so, says a new paper published in the July 1 issue of Nature.

Adam Langley and Pat Megonigal, two ecologists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, conducted a four-year study on plants growing in a brackish Chesapeake Bay marsh. In 2006 they began feeding sedge-dominated plots a diet rich in CO2 and nitrogen. Just as atmospheric CO2 levels are rising, so is nitrogen pollution in estuaries due farming, wastewater treatment and other activities. Because the sedge has previously shown a large CO2 fertilization effect, Langley and Megonigal expected that adding nitrogen could only enhance it.

Photo left: The Smithsonian’s Global Change Research Marsh is a tidal system. It sits on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Edgewater, Maryland.

The sedge, Schoenoplectus americanus, initially reacted as expected. However, after the first year something unanticipated happened. Two grass species that had been relatively rare in the plots, Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata, began to respond vigorously to the excess nitrogen. Eventually the grasses became much more abundant. Unlike sedges, grasses respond weakly to extra CO2 and do not grow faster. Thus, the nitrogen ultimately changed the composition of the ecosystem as well as its capacity to store carbon.

The experiment unfolded on the Smithsonian Global Change Research Wetland, located on the Chesapeake’s western shore in Maryland. The Smithsonian site has a history of climate change research that dates back to the 1980s. For this study, Megonigal and Langley placed 20 open-top chambers over random plots of plants. The chambers were 6 feet in diameter and had 5-foot-tall transparent plastic walls.

Photo right: Open-top plastic chambers allow Smithsonian researchers to control and measure the amount of carbon dioxide and nitrogen that the plants receive.

The large, plastic pods allowed the scientists to manipulate CO2 concentrations in the air and nitrogen levels in the soil. Half of the plots grew with normal, background CO2 levels; the other half were raised in an environment with CO2 concentrations roughly double that amount. Similarly, half of the chambers were fertilized with nitrogen and the other half were untreated.

Langley and Megonigal began and ended each growing season with a census of the plants in each chamber. They noted the individual plant species, measured the above-ground biomass and the root growth. In the chambers that received the high-nitrogen diet, the plant composition changed dramatically; it went from 95 percent sedge in 2005 to roughly half grass in 2009. “It’s a fact that not all plants will be able to respond optimally to all changes,” said Megonigal. “The things they do respond to reflects their strategy for making a living in the environment.”

“The study underscores the importance of considering the mix of species when you’re trying to predict how terrestrial ecosystems will react to global climate change factors,” said Langley. Rising CO2 levels will favor some plants and excess nitrogen will favor others. This lesson will be important to understand as scientists consider additional global change factors such as precipitation, temperature and, in tidal wetlands, sea-level rise. The plant species that gain a competitive edge under these evolving conditions will determine how ecosystems respond to global change.

This study was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Department of Energy. The Smithsonian scientists recently received funding from the National Science Foundation that will sustain the research for another 10 years. Langley and Megonigal’s paper, “Ecosystem Response to Elevated CO2 Limited by
Nitrogen-Induced Plant Species Shift,” can be accessed on Nature’s website http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v466/n7302/full/nature09176.html.

Genetics lab opens at the National Zoo

John Barrat — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:31:21 +0000

The National Zoo marked the opening of its new genetics lab with the cutting of a double-helix “ribbon” on May 25. The new lab will accommodate rapidly developing technology and facilitate collaboration with the Zoo’s pathologists, veterinarians, reproductive biologists, ecologists, behaviorists and other scientists. (From left: Nancy Rotzel, Jesus Maldonado, Steven L. Monfort, Rob Fleischer, Eva Pell, and Dennis Kelly)

Net survey: For quarter century, scientists have been counting creatures traveling Chesapeake Bay tributary

John Barrat — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:58:53 +0000

For fish, crabs and other creatures living in the Chesapeake Bay, the many creeks, rivers or subestuaries that feed the Chesapeake are enticing avenues to explore for food and refuge. These tributaries also provide important nursery and spawning habitat for many of the Bay’s aquatic residents. More than 25 years ago, researchers at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s Fish and Invertebrate Ecology Lab began taking weekley surveys of the species that make their way in and out of Muddy Creek. This waterway flows through the center’s grounds in Edgewater, Md., and feeds into the Rhode River, which then feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.

View Muddy Creek and the Rhode River in a larger map

To survey the animals swimming up and down Muddy Creek, researchers use a fish weir—an expanse of nets, gates and boardwalks—that temporarily blocks aquatic traffic. Once a week, the researchers close the weir, set out the nets and identify and count all the species that get trapped. They began collecting data in 1983.

This type of fine-scale surveying, done on a weekly basis, is rare. It’s even more unique to have such long-term data. Many ecological studies are funded for just a few years at a time. These short time frames make it difficult for scientists to observe changes and patterns in species populations and composition.

In honor of the 2010 U.S. Census, staff at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center have created this slide show of a recent spring survey. The salinity on this April day was fairly low and nearly a dozen golden shiners (a freshwater minnow) were caught along with several estuarine-resident and a few diadromous (fish that migrate between fresh and saltwater) species. Among the highlights: a sizeable snapping turtle, many white perch in spawning condition, juvenile American eels and a parasite.

Human activity and environmental conditions can affect which species are swimming in Muddy Creek. The water is brackish and salinity levels change seasonally and from year to year. During winter and early spring, when freshwater flow is usually the highest, researchers will generally catch more freshwater species like bluespotted and banded sunfish–-two protected species in Maryland. During periods of high salinity, researchers can catch many species indicative of the higher saline lower Bay such as red drum, spotted sea trout and Spanish mackerel. –Tina Tennessen

National Zoo’s giant panda Mei Xiang is not pregnant

John Barrat — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:20:30 +0000

Following a final ultrasound and hormone analysis, staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo confirmed late yesterday (Tuesday, April 27) that female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) is not pregnant but was experiencing a pseudo, or false, pregnancy during the past several months.

National Zoo scientists, veterinarians, keepers and volunteers from the Friends of the National Zoo were keeping a close eye on Mei Xiang, monitoring her hormone levels and behavior, as well as conducting weekly ultrasound exams in an attempt to determine if she was pregnant. On April 22, Mei Xiang’s progestagen concentrations had declined sufficiently to start the 24-hour watch. On reaching normal baseline levels, this decline ends in either the birth of a cub or the end of a pseudopregnancy. Based on current hormone analyses, and not having seen a fetus during the ultrasound exams, Zoo researchers have determined that Mei Xiang experienced a pseudopregnancy.

Female giant pandas almost always undergo a pseudopregnancy when they ovulate but fail to conceive. During a pseudopregnancy, hormonal changes and behaviors are identical to those of a true pregnancy, making it very difficult to determine if a giant panda is actually pregnant or not. This is the fifth time Mei Xiang has had a pseudopregnancy. Giant pandas ovulate only once a year. Mei Xiang gave birth in 2005 to Tai Shan, who was sent to Wolong’s Beifengxia Base in Ya’an, Sichuan, China, in February to join its breeding program.

National Zoo staff expect Mei Xiang to return to normal, hormonally and behaviorally, in the coming days, which includes an increase in appetite and activity level. The Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat will reopen today at 10 a.m. It had been closed to provide Mei Xiang with a quiet environment in the event that she did give birth.

Giant pandas are endangered; scientists estimate there are around 1,600 remaining in the wild.Following a final ultrasound and hormone analysis, staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo confirmed late yesterday (Tuesday, April 27) that female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) is not pregnant but was experiencing a pseudo, or false, pregnancy during the past several months.

Giant pandas are endangered; scientists estimate there are around 1,600 remaining in the wild.

Image right: National Zoo staff perform an ultrasound examination on giant panda Mei Xiang.

National Zoo scientists, veterinarians, keepers and volunteers from the Friends of the National Zoo were keeping a close eye on Mei Xiang, monitoring her hormone levels and behavior, as well as conducting weekly ultrasound exams in an attempt to determine if she was pregnant. On April 22, Mei Xiang’s progestagen concentrations had declined sufficiently to start the 24-hour watch. On reaching normal baseline levels, this decline ends in either the birth of a cub or the end of a pseudopregnancy. Based on current hormone analyses, and not having seen a fetus during the ultrasound exams, Zoo researchers have determined that Mei Xiang experienced a pseudopregnancy.

Image left: Mei Xiang (Meghan Murphy photos)

Giant pandas are endangered; scientists estimate there are around 1,600 remaining in the wild.

The science of panda cubs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

John Barrat — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:25:21 +0000

Shipping industry sends help as project in Panama tackles amphibian crisis

John Barrat — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:34:26 +0000

As a disease known as amphibian chytrid fungus continues to wipe out amphibian species worldwide, frogs in Panama are finding a safe haven in a seemingly unlikely spot—between the metal walls of shipping containers once used to transport ice cream, strawberries, coffee beans, flowers and pharmaceuticals. Two of six refrigerated containers to be donated by the shipping company Maersk Line arrived this week at Summit Municipal Park in Panama City, Panama, where the Smithsonian Institution and partners are working to save amphibians in imminent danger of extinction.

Photo right: The limosa harlequin frog (Atelopus limosus) is one of 54 species that Amphibian Ark has identified as a priority rescue species for the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project. (Click to enlarge)

“Each container provides us with critical space to house animals that may represent the last chance for the survival of their species,” said Brian Gratwicke, a National Zoo research biologist and the international coordinator for the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project. “The containers are now self-contained ‘amphibian rescue pods’ that have been specially modified to control the climate and keep diseases out.”

The rescue pods will be part of the project’s Amphibian Rescue Center at Summit Municipal Park, which will also include a lab with a quarantine facility. After frogs are collected in the field, they will be quarantined for 30 days before being moved to the rescue pods that will serve as their new home. In addition to the two containers that are now in Panama, Maersk Line has agreed to donate two containers per year for the next two years to the project, for a total of six. Shipping company APL has also donated one container this year. Each container offers 995 cubic feet of space to house these animals. The seven together will more than double the amount of captive space the project currently has in Panama to safeguard endangered amphibians.

Photo left: Shipping company Maersk Line has agreed to donate up to six used shipping containers similar to this one to the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project. The containers will serve as rescue pods for endangered amphibians.

“Maersk Line’s support of the amphibian rescue project is aligned with our long-term focus on sustainability,” said Mike White, head of Maersk Line’s North American organization. “Although we are pleased to donate these containers, the more valuable contribution is our expertise and resources. Our team’s assistance with documentation and transportation allows Brian’s group to concentrate on the overall effort.”

Amphibian Ark, an organization that mobilizes support for ex-situ (“out-of-the-wild”) conservation, has identified 54 amphibian species as rescue species for the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project. At least 198 amphibian species live in Panama, of which 70 are listed as “critically endangered,” “endangered” or “data deficient” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Amphibian Ark estimates that about 500 amphibian rescue pods are needed to save the world’s 500 critically endangered amphibian species. Buying, outfitting and installing a single container costs about $50,000.

Photo right: Each shipping container offers 995 cubic feet of space to safeguard endangered species. (Photos by Brian Gratwicke)

“This requires an amount of resources that is insurmountable for the amphibian rescue community,” said Kevin Zippel, Amphibian Ark’s program director. “With a relatively small investment, the shipping industry has made a huge impact on one of the greatest conservation challenges that humanity has ever faced. We are currently seeking additional contributions of this kind.”

The mission of the Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project is to rescue amphibian species that are in extreme danger of extinction from amphibian chytrid disease sweeping through Panama. The project’s focus is on developing appropriate technologies to control the amphibian chytrid fungus, so that one day captive amphibians may be reintroduced to the wild. Project participants include Africam Safari, ANAM (Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Defenders of Wildlife, Houston Zoo, Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Summit Municipal Park and Zoo New England.

Women in Science: Working with giant pandas at the National Zoo

John Barrat — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:22:31 +0000