Toad in Trouble

As a species, humans have completely taken in the Earth as our own, assuming that all other species and resources are ours to use.  And it seems as though greater attention to our environmental impacts and the footprint we leave on the planet has only become present in the last century or so more than ever.  However, our actions are still harming others whether or not most people realize it.  Humans are responsible for the extinction of species at a rate 1,000 to 10,000 times greater than the background rate, which is 1 to 5 species per year.  That means we are currently losing 1,000 to 50,000 species every year (Center for Biological Diversity, 2017).  It is true that there are species more critically endangered than the Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis), a small but unique creature native to only county in the world, but that does not place its significance as unimportant.  Instead, the fact that their range is so limited creates even more of a reason to save them, because if they go extinct from Bastrop county, they will be going extinct everywhere.  The Houston toad’s existence is critical, providing benefits to both the natural world and humans, and it is necessary that precautions be taken in order to save this species.

 

It is worth saving the Houston toad for numerous reasons beyond the fact that life is sacred and every species has an importance and the right to live.  We need to save this extremely valuable species because of its niche within the ecosystem, specifically its vital role of being a central part of the food web.  The Houston toad works to maintain a balance between predator-prey relationships but is put at high risk when serious threats, caused by us, begin to cause a decline in population numbers.  When these numbers are suddenly put at an imbalance within ecosystems, problems happen.  The toad acts as natural “pest control”, maintaining insects such as beetles, mosquitoes, and flies.  But when the toad disappears, these species can reach their carrying capacity, which is the maximum number of individuals in a population, and then that species is subject to collapse through a rippling effect, causing a trophic cascade within the ecosystem, as all species become impacted by the extinction of one type of organism.  These impacts also bring negative effects on humans, such as disease (Maier, 2017).  As of 2018, over 5,500 cases of the Zika Virus have been recorded in the United States alone (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).  If the status of the Houston toad were to change from endangered to extinct, that number would rise.  The virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, an insect that the Houston toad craves.  So, it is actually a benefit to humans by helping to protect us.  It also provides aid to humans by working as an “ecological warning sign”, allowing people to properly assess the environment.  Amphibians are very sensitive to changes in the environment, and as the Houston toad breathes through its skin, it is susceptible to extinction due to its vulnerability to pollutants, both in the air and water (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 2017).  Detecting these various sensitivities to environmental change allows scientists and researchers to assess the quality of the ecosystem and formulate solutions to not only help the Houston toad, but also all other species (Krieger, 2017).  The bottom line is that it is worth putting in the efforts to save this toad because in the process we will be saving other species. Global Warming is one of the top environmental issues facing our world today, as Greenhouse gases - such as carbon dioxide - gradually increase the temperature of the atmosphere (Pappas, 2017).  Toads help combat this by consuming and capturing carbon before it is released.  How? The answer is simple: eating invertebrates.  Invertebrates release carbon into the atmosphere by eating forest debris, such as fallen leaves, so amphibians are necessary to help other species that are currently facing the extreme impacts of global warming, such as polar bears.

 

In order to successfully save the Houston toad, the attention and efforts of all people, specifically Texas residents is necessary.  All of the detrimental threats towards the toad are human-caused, so if people make small lifestyle changes then it is incredibly likely that the population will be able to increase again.  The greatest threat to the Houston toad and all endangered species is habitat destruction.  Since the Houston toad is not only a habitat specialist but also lives within a restricted range, maintaining and restoring the loblolly pine forests within Bastrop County, TX is critical.  That means that there needs to be less construction and development near habitats, as the habitats are often becoming fragmented by roads or highways and the toads are immediately killed when trying to cross.  More efforts need to be put into restoring the natural wetlands, which are important during the reproduction season, as well as preventing people from converting them into permanent ponds, as that increases predation and competition between the toads and other species.  Texas has been experiencing extremely bad drought conditions for decades (National Weather Service and National Climatic Data Center, 2011), making it clear that it is necessary for all residents to be more conscious and aware of water usage.  The Red Imported Fire Ant is an invasive species brought into Texas years ago, yet it remains a top threat to the Houston toad, as well as other native species (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 2017).  The removal of this ant is an important step to further the restoration of the Houston toad population, as well as all efforts to support The Houston Zoo, as they are trying to help the species through their captive breeding program.  Even though the focus is to benefit the toad, these actions are completely worth it because they benefit the community and the economy by providing jobs to those who are doing the fieldwork.  The list of ways to help the Houston toad is endless, but the important thing to remember is that everything humans are doing to help the toad, is benefitting all species in the long run.  All of the actions that would be taken in order to save the Houston toad would also benefit a countless number of other species, global ecosystems as a whole, and in return, us.