Disappearing frogs - Kerry M. Kriger
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Not SyncedHave you ever heard the sound of frogs
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Not Syncedcalling at night?
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Not SyncedFor hundreds of millions of years,
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Not Syncedthis croaking lullaby has filled the nighttime air.
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Not SyncedBut recent studies suggest
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Not Syncedthat these frogs are in danger
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Not Syncedof playing their final note.
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Not SyncedOver the past few decades,
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Not Syncedamphibian populations have been rapidly disappearing worldwide.
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Not SyncedNearly one-third of the world's amphibian species
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Not Syncedare endanger of extinction,
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Not Syncedand over 100 species have already disappeared.
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Not SyncedBut don't worry, there's still hope.
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Not SyncedBefore we get into how to save the frogs,
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Not Syncedlet's start by taking a look
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Not Syncedat why they're disappearing
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Not Syncedand why it's important to keep them around.
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Not SyncedHabitat destruction is the number one problem
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Not Syncedfor frog populations around the world.
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Not SyncedThere are seven billion humans on the planet,
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Not Syncedand we compete with frogs for habitat.
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Not SyncedWe build cities, suburbs, and farms
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Not Syncedon top of frog habitat
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Not Syncedand chop forests
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Not Syncedand drain the wetlands
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Not Syncedthat serve as home
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Not Syncedfor numerous amphibian populations.
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Not SyncedClimate change alters precipitation levels,
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Not Synceddrying up ponds, streams, and cloud forests.
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Not SyncedAs the Earth's human population continues to grow,
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Not Syncedso will the threats amphibians face.
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Not SyncedThere are a variety of other factors
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Not Syncedcontributing to the frogs' decline.
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Not SyncedOver-harvesting for the pet and food trade
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Not Syncedresults in millions of frogs
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Not Syncedbeing taken out of the wild each year.
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Not SyncedInvasive species,
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Not Syncedsuch as non-native trout and crawfish,
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Not Syncedeat native frogs.
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Not SyncedHumans are facilitating the spread
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Not Syncedof infectious diseases
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Not Syncedby shipping over 100 million amphibians
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Not Syncedaround the world each year,
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Not Syncedfor use as food, pets, bait,
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Not Syncedand in laboratories and zoos
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Not Syncedwith few regulations or quarantines.
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Not SyncedOne of these diseases,
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Not Syncedchytridiomycosis,
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Not Syncedhas driven stream-dwelling amphibian populations
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Not Syncedto extinction
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Not Syncedin Africa,
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Not SyncedAustralia,
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Not SyncedEurope,
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Not Syncedand North, Central, and South America.
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Not SyncedOn top of all these problems,
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Not Syncedwe add hundreds of millions of kilograms of pesticides
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Not Syncedto our ecosystems each year.
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Not SyncedAnd these chemicals are easily absorbed
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Not Syncedthrough amphibians' permeable skin,
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Not Syncedcausing amino suppression,
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Not Syncedor a weakened immune system
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Not Syncedand developmental deformities.
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Not SyncedOkay, so why are these little green guys
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Not Syncedworth keeping around?
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Not SyncedFrogs are important for a multitude of reasons.
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Not SyncedThey're an integral part of the food web,
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Not Syncedeating flies, ticks, mosquitoes,
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Not Syncedand other disease vectors,
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Not Syncedthus, protecting us against malaria,
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Not Synceddengue fever,
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Not Syncedand other illnesses.
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Not SyncedTadpoles keep waterways clean
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Not Syncedby feeding on algea,
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Not Syncedreducing the demand
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Not Syncedon our community's filtration systems
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Not Syncedand keeping our cost of water low.
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Not SyncedFrogs serve as a source of food
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Not Syncedfor birds, fish, snakes, dragonflies, and even monkies.
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Not SyncedWhen frogs disappear,
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Not Syncedthe food web is disturbed,
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Not Syncedand other animals can disappear as well.
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Not SyncedAmphibians are also extremely important
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Not Syncedin human medicine.
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Not SyncedOver ten percent of the Nobel prizes
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Not Syncedin physiology and medicine
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Not Syncedhave gone to researchers
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Not Syncedwhose work depended on amphibians.
- Title:
- Disappearing frogs - Kerry M. Kriger
- Description:
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View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/disappearing-frogs-kerry-m-kriger
Frogs (and amphibians in general) are in danger -- worldwide, nearly one-third of the world's amphibian species are on the verge of extinction. And yet, frogs contribute to our well-being in many important ways. Kerry M. Kriger describes why frogs are in trouble and how you can help save them.
Lesson by Kerry M. Kriger, animation by Simon Ampel.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 03:48
TED edited English subtitles for Disappearing frogs - Kerry M. Kriger | ||
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Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Disappearing frogs - Kerry M. Kriger | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Disappearing frogs - Kerry M. Kriger | ||
Andrea McDonough edited English subtitles for Disappearing frogs - Kerry M. Kriger | ||
Andrea McDonough edited English subtitles for Disappearing frogs - Kerry M. Kriger |