Thursday, January 19, 2006
The loss of more than 70 species of brightly coloured harlequin frogs in the Central and South American tropics can be blamed on a lethal mixture of global warming and fungal growth, says their study, to be published Thursday in the journal Nature.
Climate change had been suspected as a cause, but the link was not immediately clear. The scientists' answer is this:
Global warming has accelerated cloud formation, which, paradoxically, has a moderating effect on temperature, producing warmer nights and cooler days.
Unluckily for the frogs, this keeps temperatures within a range that fungus loves. More extreme temperatures, both high and low, would hold back growth.
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