Like many amphibians, Fowler’s Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) is facing myriad threats caused by Human activities. Filmed and directed by environmental filmmaker Ryan Mariotti this short documentary follows Canadian herpetologists Dr. David Green & Dr. Katherine Yagi from McGill University studying populations of this sand specialist frog on Lake Erie. Researchers identify the threats facing the Fowler’s Toad and how to save it. These threats include habitat alteration due to invasive Phragmites plants and demographic bottlenecks arising from low recruitment rates due to loss of nursery sites for tadpoles to grow. Amphibians are remarkably plastic in their growth and body size can vary drastically due to crowding effects. Availability of very few nursery ponds can lead to overcrowding competing for the limited habitat. The negative effects of overcrowding can cascade up into adult populations to decline.
Although Fowler’s Toad populations are relatively healthy in its range, populations in Ontario are at risk.
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