Nobody's kissing frogs, but a scientist at the University of Ottawa has conjured up a "love potion" that turns conservation into something out of a fairy tale. The western chorus frog is about the size of a large grape and native to parts of Ontario and western Quebec. It's been considered a threatened species since 2010 .
The tiny amphibians are a crucial part of the ecosystem, according to Vance Trudeau, a professor at the university's biology department. They provide a source of food for small mammals, and help control mosquito and other insect populations. The issue is, the frogs often don't want to pair up in captivity before conservationists can release them into safe environments.
So Trudeau and his team of researchers have developed a hormonal treatment that, when injected into the frogs and some other species of amphibian, induces breeding. Vance Trudeau, a biology professor at the University of Ottawa, says the western chorus frog is a keystone species and should be protected. (Robyn Miller/CBC) Trudeau describes the frogs' reticence to breed in captivity as just one barrier to their repopulation.
"It's one part of a big solution," he said. A global effort The researchers' work is part of a global push for amphibian conservation. Earlier this month, more than 100 experts published a global amphibian conservation action plan .
According to the plan, amphibians are "the most threatened vertebrate class on earth." Of all amphibious species in the world, Trudeau said ab.