Malformed Frogs: The Collapse of Aquatic Ecosystems

294 Pages·2008·2.5 MB·English

by  Michael Lannoo

malformed frogs

MALFORMED
FROGS
The Collapse of Aquatic Ecosystems
Michael Lannoo
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles London
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University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
©2008 by
The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lannoo, Michael
Malformed frogs / Michael Lannoo.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-520-25588-3 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Frogs—Abnormalities. 2. Frogs—Research.
I. Title.
QL668.E2L298 2008
571.9'51789—dc22
2008004005
Manufactured in the United States of America
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the
minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO
Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).(cid:2)(cid:2)
Cover illustration: Two specimens of Rana pipiens
with multiplied limb elements. Specimens collected
by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Photos by the author.
Dedicated to the memory of Dan Sutherland
Dan after sampling the ROI site in central Minnesota, August 2001.
Photo by the author.
Royalties from this book will be donated to the Dan Sutherland Memorial
Scholarship administered by the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Foundation.

And I brought ye into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit
thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye
defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.
JEREMIAH2:7
We humans may be the smartest objects that ever came
down the pike of life’s history on earth, but we remain
outstandingly inept in certain issues, particularly when
our emotional arrogance joins forces with our intellectual
ignorance.
STEPHENJAYGOULD
Lying Stones of Marrakech, 2000

contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 1
1. What is an Amphibian Malformation? 7
2. Malformed Frog Types 21
3. Hotspots 85
4. Causes 105
5. Resolutions 111
6. Human Malformations and Causes 179
7. Solutions 189
Species Affected 203
Notes 217
Index 265
Plates follow page 8