Why Study Frogs and Toads?

In March or April following an Ohio winter, sounds emanate forth from woodland ponds, flooded fields, and other temporary and permanent wetland areas. Throughout the spring and extending into July or August the sounds continue. An observant listener may be aware that the voices producing the sounds have changed over time. But the informed listener is aware of the procession of species producing the sounds and understands the significance of the sounds to the ecology and natural history of those species. Our appreciation of the natural world is heightened when our awareness of the environment is increased, whether through auditory recognition of frog calls or through visual recognition of a frog sitting on a lily pad.

Biologists now are beginning to recognize and appreciate the sensitivity of frogs to certain kinds of environmental pollutants, such as heavy metals and acid rain. Understanding the effects of pollutants on frogs may help us learn more about maintaining other species in their natural environments and about preserving these environments for ourselves and our heirs.

Frogs and toads are integral parts of the food web. While tadpoles, they consume both living and dead material, they grow, and they become food for predators, such as insects and fish. As adults, frogs eat insects and other small animals and are in turn preyed upon by snakes, raccoons, herons, and a host of other predators.