How many kinds of frogs can be found at Fermilab?
Northern Illinois has a pretty small amphibian population. Only about a dozen frog species are commonly found around here, and only six to eight species can be found at Fermilab. Why are frogs so sensitive to pollution? Beginning in the early 1980s, biologists began to realize that amphibians such as frogs are extremely sensitive to pollution and other environmental stresses. Declines in amphibian numbers and increases in deformed bodies have led scientists to investigate the role of habitat loss, increased ultraviolet radiation (due to ozone depletion), and chemical pollution in these important changes. No one is sure why amphibians are so sensitive to pollution, but it may be linked to the fact that their skin is relatively thin and permeable to water, so frogs are exposed more directly to pollutants and environmental radiation. In addition, their eggs are laid in ponds and other water bodies, so they can absorb whatever chemical pollution may be present throughout their early develo
