- Author: Robert J Keiffer
Occasionally one will see news releases on the subject of deformed frogs somewhere in the United States ... and many times those articles are filled with speculations and and illogical guesses as to the cause of the deformities.
Here at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center, it has long been known that such deformities occur with regularity amongst the developing Sierran Treefrog (Pseudacris sierra) population. This common amphibian species was formerly known as the Pacific Tree Frog, but due to recent molecular data, it has now been split into three separate species including the local Sierran Treefrog.
If you are in the vicinity of HREC on the evening of Monday, July 29th, please plan on attending a free open-to-the-public seminar on "Freaky Frogs and Fecund Fish: Ecology of Frog Deformities and Biological Invasions in North Coast Wetlands". The seminar will be presented by doctoral-candidate Dan Preston from The University of Colorado, Boulder who has conducted wetlands research at HREC for several years. The program will begin at 7:00PM sharp in the new Rod Shippey Hall and will be followed by coffee and light refreshments.