Web of Absence
Addie Jones | December 2017
As I sit on my grandmother’s porch looking out at the sun reflected onto the sound, I pick up a seashell on the table. Hidden away in the back of the shell is a green tree frog, just like the ones I used to see every summer night as a child. It hopped out onto the table for just a second then jumped straight onto the railing of the porch. The little, bright green frog sat there, white belly rapidly moving with each breath. A few minutes go by and suddenly the frog decides to jump off the porch and into the trees. I started to think about how often I used to see these frogs when I was younger. They used to be everywhere – under shells, on windows and doors, even in doorframes every now and then. Now, I hardly ever see them around.
The North Carolina coast is home to many wetlands and swamps, which these tree frogs love to live in. The wetlands and swamps provide waterside vegetation and other wet and shady areas for the green tree frogs to hide under during the day. The green tree frog, just like other frogs, breathes through its skin, so these habitats are essential for them to be able to keep their skin moist in order to absorb oxygen. At night, they venture out of their hiding spots and forage for insects. The green tree frogs help with insect and pest control, which is something the coast desperately needs. Mosquitos there are a nightmare during the summer, so each night a car goes down every street spraying pesticides to help mitigate the problem. Spraying pesticides to keep the mosquito populations down may have seemed like a good idea, but they can also affect other species.
A frog’s skin is much more permeable than other species, so any pollutant they come into contact with can have a greater impact on them. Various chemicals and substances emitted by humans every day can impact frog populations, even by driving a car to work. If the environment becomes too polluted and toxic, the frogs may start migrating, leaving the ecosystem with a gaping hole. But who cares about the frogs, anyway? Can they actually play an important role in the big picture?
In the whole scheme of things, it is easy to overlook one species of frog, but taking a closer look can reveal important information about the things frogs can provide the world with. Their diets can help reduce the spread of disease and pest issues while their offspring provide a food source for fish in the wetlands and swamps. But with chemical fertilizers and pesticides constantly sprayed around the world, the build up of them has started to affect and decline wetlands and swamps globally. Without these ecosystems, many things nature can and has provided for humans will stop happening and we may have to figure out how to replace them. Ecosystems are sensitive and without even one small component in place, they can completely fall apart.
Since I noticed the absence of the green tree frogs at home, I have also noticed that the mosquitos have gotten worse. Spraying the chemical pesticides has not seemed to do anything to solve the mosquito issue – in fact, it has gotten worse – but instead has caused the decline of many species important to the local ecosystems. The bats that help with insect control are also starting to disappear, rarely being seen throughout the summer. I remember going out at dusk with my dad as a child and throwing pebbles in the air while watching the bats flit toward what they think is a bug. The species that are affected by all the pesticides and herbicides are forced to move in order to survive, and their eviction can leave the ecosystem unbalanced.
What could happen if we don’t stop spraying these chemical pesticides and herbicides? Well, a global decline in frog populations is one potential outcome. Without them, pest populations would increase and food production might be affected if they are not controlled. Water pollution would affect even more habitats, slowly affecting the species that rely on the ecosystems. Those that can adapt to live in the conditions of the polluted ecosystem risk other species eating them and the toxins bioaccumulating to the point where they are also affected.
While these pesticides and herbicides seem like a good solution that will have quick results, they have actually caused more problems. For years, we have already seen the disappearance of frog species around the world, but what are we doing to stop it? We know that frogs and other pest managers play a big role in our ecosystems and that chemical pollutants heavily affect them, so why do we continue to poison them? Will we ever stop?
Addie Jones | December 2017
As I sit on my grandmother’s porch looking out at the sun reflected onto the sound, I pick up a seashell on the table. Hidden away in the back of the shell is a green tree frog, just like the ones I used to see every summer night as a child. It hopped out onto the table for just a second then jumped straight onto the railing of the porch. The little, bright green frog sat there, white belly rapidly moving with each breath. A few minutes go by and suddenly the frog decides to jump off the porch and into the trees. I started to think about how often I used to see these frogs when I was younger. They used to be everywhere – under shells, on windows and doors, even in doorframes every now and then. Now, I hardly ever see them around.
The North Carolina coast is home to many wetlands and swamps, which these tree frogs love to live in. The wetlands and swamps provide waterside vegetation and other wet and shady areas for the green tree frogs to hide under during the day. The green tree frog, just like other frogs, breathes through its skin, so these habitats are essential for them to be able to keep their skin moist in order to absorb oxygen. At night, they venture out of their hiding spots and forage for insects. The green tree frogs help with insect and pest control, which is something the coast desperately needs. Mosquitos there are a nightmare during the summer, so each night a car goes down every street spraying pesticides to help mitigate the problem. Spraying pesticides to keep the mosquito populations down may have seemed like a good idea, but they can also affect other species.
A frog’s skin is much more permeable than other species, so any pollutant they come into contact with can have a greater impact on them. Various chemicals and substances emitted by humans every day can impact frog populations, even by driving a car to work. If the environment becomes too polluted and toxic, the frogs may start migrating, leaving the ecosystem with a gaping hole. But who cares about the frogs, anyway? Can they actually play an important role in the big picture?
In the whole scheme of things, it is easy to overlook one species of frog, but taking a closer look can reveal important information about the things frogs can provide the world with. Their diets can help reduce the spread of disease and pest issues while their offspring provide a food source for fish in the wetlands and swamps. But with chemical fertilizers and pesticides constantly sprayed around the world, the build up of them has started to affect and decline wetlands and swamps globally. Without these ecosystems, many things nature can and has provided for humans will stop happening and we may have to figure out how to replace them. Ecosystems are sensitive and without even one small component in place, they can completely fall apart.
Since I noticed the absence of the green tree frogs at home, I have also noticed that the mosquitos have gotten worse. Spraying the chemical pesticides has not seemed to do anything to solve the mosquito issue – in fact, it has gotten worse – but instead has caused the decline of many species important to the local ecosystems. The bats that help with insect control are also starting to disappear, rarely being seen throughout the summer. I remember going out at dusk with my dad as a child and throwing pebbles in the air while watching the bats flit toward what they think is a bug. The species that are affected by all the pesticides and herbicides are forced to move in order to survive, and their eviction can leave the ecosystem unbalanced.
What could happen if we don’t stop spraying these chemical pesticides and herbicides? Well, a global decline in frog populations is one potential outcome. Without them, pest populations would increase and food production might be affected if they are not controlled. Water pollution would affect even more habitats, slowly affecting the species that rely on the ecosystems. Those that can adapt to live in the conditions of the polluted ecosystem risk other species eating them and the toxins bioaccumulating to the point where they are also affected.
While these pesticides and herbicides seem like a good solution that will have quick results, they have actually caused more problems. For years, we have already seen the disappearance of frog species around the world, but what are we doing to stop it? We know that frogs and other pest managers play a big role in our ecosystems and that chemical pollutants heavily affect them, so why do we continue to poison them? Will we ever stop?