Frogs as bio-indicators of chemical useage and farm practices in an irrigated agricultural area

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Dramatic declines and extinctions in frog populations worldwide and high frequencies of physical or reproductive abnormalities in frogs may be directly or indirectly related to agricultural activities among other factors. The causes of the declines in amphibian populations remain unresolved, but recent studies suggest six main hypotheses to explain them:

• habitat destruction
• chemical contaminants, particularly pesticides
• increasing UV radiation
• climate change
• introduced exotic predators and
• disease, particularly the pathogenic chytrid fungus

Frogs are likely to act as bioindicators of environmental quality, and could be used to assess the impact of human activities in specific areas.