Would there even be any?
I can think of two right off. Insect populations would increase (frogs eat insects) and fish populations would decrease slightly (some fish eat frogs).
What would the ecological reprecussions be if frogs and toads went extinct?
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I can think of two right off. Insect populations would increase (frogs eat insects) and fish populations would decrease slightly (some fish eat frogs).
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1-Frogs eat lots of bugs
2- There are numerous species of fish that eat frogs eggs and species of snakes that eat frogs.
Furthermore, there is landmark research that is currently being done on North and South American frog peptides (specifically Rana pipiens) as they have significant effects on the HIV virus. The peptides actually inhibit the virus from transfering from one cell to another.
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They are like the "miner’s canary", for the human-race. So if they disappear, we will not be far behind them!
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I would first like to agree with the other posters about possible ecological damage, disruption of the food chain, and the kind of omen it would be for humanity.
I would like to point out that organisms are a vast resevoir of untapped medicines. Aspirin, for example, is found in the bark of a tree. Taxol, an anti-cancer drug, is also found in a tree. Many, many other drugs also comprise this class of pharmaceuticals called "natural products."
What would our lives be like if these organisms had become extinct before we even knew of the hope they held?
Amphibians, too, can be sources of new medicines. Recently, I read an article about a frog in South America that produces an antibiotic that bacteria absolutely cannot adapt to… in other words, bacteria cannot become resistant to it. Work is being done now to wield it effectively. Perhaps other frogs contain secrets of medicine, too.
The exctinction of any organism is a detriment to our species.
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Medicinal biochemist.