Amphibians are in widespread decline, and climate change is to blame, study says
Amphibians are experiencing widespread population declines due to climate change, according to a new study. A major class of vertebrate species is experiencing widespread population declines due to climate change, according to new research. Amphibians, the most threatened class of vertebrates, are deteriorating globally, with about 40% of more than 8,000 amphibian species studied categorized as threatened -- a greater percentage than threatened mammals, reptiles or birds, a paper published in Nature on Wednesday suggests. A lemur leaf frog at the Smithsonian National Zoo, July 13, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images Habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, timber and plant harvesting and infrastructure development is the most common threat, affecting about 93% of threatened amphibian species, Jennifer Luedtke, manager of species partnerships for conservation nonprofit Re:wild and the global coordinator for the Amphibian Red List Authority for ...