{"id":270111,"date":"2020-09-28T02:08:45","date_gmt":"2020-09-28T06:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=270111"},"modified":"2020-09-28T02:29:37","modified_gmt":"2020-09-28T06:29:37","slug":"australians-recorded-frog-calls-on-their-smartphones-after-the-bushfires-and-the-results-are-remarkable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2020\/09\/28\/australians-recorded-frog-calls-on-their-smartphones-after-the-bushfires-and-the-results-are-remarkable\/","title":{"rendered":"Australians recorded frog calls on their smartphones after the bushfires \u2013 and the results are remarkable"},"content":{"rendered":"
Jodi Rowley<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Frogs are one of the most threatened groups of animals on Earth. At least four of Australia\u2019s 240 known frog species are extinct and 36 are nationally threatened<\/a>. After last summer\u2019s bushfires, we needed rapid information to determine which frogs required our help.<\/p>\n

This was a challenging task. The fire zone ranged from southern Queensland through New South Wales and Victoria, to Kangaroo Island off South Australia. The area was too large for scientists alone to survey, especially with COVID-19 travel restrictions.<\/p>\n

But all was not lost. Thousands of everyday citizens across the fire zone, armed with their mobile phones, began monitoring their local frogs through an app called FrogID.<\/p>\n

In research published today<\/a>, we reveal how 45 frog species, some rare and threatened, were recorded calling after the fires. This has allowed us to collate a snapshot of where frog species are surviving \u2013 at least for now.<\/p>\n

\"A
The FrogID app means anyone can help monitor frog numbers.<\/span>
\nJodi Rowley<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Good news for a change<\/h2>\n

In late 2019 and early 2020, more than 17 million hectares of forest burned in Australia<\/a>. By size, it was the largest fire season<\/a> in southeastern Australia since European occupation.<\/p>\n

Scientists knew the damage to many plant and animal species was likely to be dramatic, particularly for species already in trouble. Many of Australia\u2019s frog species are already vulnerable, due to pressures such as disease and habitat loss. There was a very real risk the fires had pushed many frog species closer to extinction. However, information on how frogs respond to fires has historically been limited.<\/p>\n

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\n
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\n<\/em><\/p>\n

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FrogID<\/a> is a free app downloaded to smart phones. Led by the Australian Museum, the project allows anyone to record a frog call and upload it. The FrogID team then identifies the species by its call, to create a national frog database.<\/p>\n

Since the app launched in November 2017, more than 13,000 citizen scientists have recorded the calls of about 220,000 frogs across Australia. Before last summer\u2019s fires, app users had submitted 2,655 recordings of 66 frog species in what would later become fire zones. This gave us a remarkable understanding of the frogs present before the fires.<\/p>\n

\"Burnt
In some places, the fires burnt so intensely it was hard to imagine any wildlife survived.<\/span>
\nDean Lewins\/AAP<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Within four months of the fires, app users submitted 632 recordings. These confirmed the existence of 45 of the 66 frog species known to live in the fire zones. Hearteningly, all 33 summer-breeding frog species recorded before the fires were also detected afterwards. In other words, there were no obviously \u201cmissing\u201d frog species.<\/p>\n

The frog species recorded most frequently in burnt areas were common, broadly distributed species of low conservation concern. These include the common eastern froglet (Crinia signifera<\/em>) and striped marsh frog (Limnodynastes peronii<\/em>).<\/p>\n

However, rare and threatened species were also recorded in fire-damaged areas. These included:<\/p>\n