Conservation: Mink frogs are especially adapted to colder temperatures, being as found north as northern Quebec and Labrador with New York State representing the southernmost extent of their range. Mink frogs have been found to have a much smaller population in warmer wetlands where the average July air temperatures are greater than 19.5°C (67.1°F). July is especially important as it is the height of the mink frog’s breeding season and having temperatures within their range of comfort reduces stress, allowing them to more successfully breed. As human induced climate change exasperates, warming the average climate, mink frogs are expected to be some of the first animal to show a drastic change in range. Warmer temperatures outside of the mink frog’s threshold can reduce breeding in the southern extent of their range, pushing them further north and reducing their populations. Amphibians are especially sensitive to environmental change, because of this they are often used as indicator species to identify the health of an ecosystem and/or to see what changes can be expected from other organisms.
Sources:
"Mink Frog." Ontario Nature, 2021, ontarionature.org/programs/community-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/mink-frog/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2021. Popescu, Viorel D., and James P. Gibbs. "Interactions Between Climate, Beaver Activity, and Pond Occupancy by the Cold-Adapted Mink Frog in New York State, USA." Science Direct, Biological Conservation, Oct. 2009, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320709001712. Accessed 4 Nov. 2021. |