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When global warming global warming, the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution.  makes headlines, the news is usually not good. That is the case for frogs and other amphibians amphibians

members of the animal class Amphibia. Includes frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and cecilians all capable of living on land or in water.
 (a class of cold-blooded animals that includes frogs, loads, salamanders, and newts.) A new study by the National Science Foundation has found that global warming is hastening the spread of a skin fungus fungus

Any of about 200,000 species of organisms belonging to the kingdom Fungi, or Mycota, including yeasts, rusts, smuts, molds, mushrooms, and mildews. Though formerly classified as plants, they lack chlorophyll and the organized plant structures of stems, roots, and
 that is killing amphibians.

Some species have disappeared altogether (see graph below), including more than two thirds of all harlequin frog Harlequin frog is a non-scientific name for any of several varieties of frog or toad, including the following:
  • Harlequin Poison Frog, Dendrobates histrionicus, a species of South American poison dart frog
  • Atelopus, a genus of South American toads
 species. "Disease is the bullet that's killing the frogs," said J. Alan Pound, the study's lead scientist. "Bur climate change is pulling the trigger."

In the last 20 to 50 years, amphibian amphibian, in zoology
amphibian, in zoology, cold-blooded vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia. There are three living orders of amphibians: the frogs and toads (order Anura, or Salientia), the salamanders and newts (order Urodela, or Caudata), and the
 species have been vanishing al a much higher rate than that of other animal types. The skin fungus is not the only reason for the widespread losses. Other causes include pollution and loss of habitat (an animal's natural home).
News Graph

How Amphibians
Are Doing

(by percent of 5,743 known
amphibian species)

Species known
to be extinct       0.6%

Species found/
Not threatened     62.6%

Species
Threatened         32.3%

Species not found/
May be extinct      4.9%

Source: Global Amphibian Assessment,
2004 (globalamphibians.org)

Note: Table made from pie chart.
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Title Annotation:ANIMALS; global warming is killing amphibians
Publication:Junior Scholastic
Date:Feb 20, 2006
Words:197
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