Why are frogs disappearing? - Kerry M. Kriger

Iščezavanje žaba - Keri M. Kriger (Kerry M. Kriger)

Prevodilac: Mile Živković Lektor: Anja Saric

Have you ever heard the sound of frogs

Da li ste ikada čuli zvuk žaba

calling at night?

dok se oglašavaju u noći?

For hundreds of millions of years,

Stotinama miliona godina,

this croaking lullaby has filled the nighttime air.

ova kreketava uspavanka ispunjavala je noć.

But recent studies suggest

Ali nedavna istraživanja ukazuju na to

that these frogs are in danger

da su ove žabe u opasnosti

of playing their final note.

i da možda pevaju svoju poslednju pesmu.

Over the past few decades,

Tokom proteklih nekoliko decenija,

amphibian populations have been rapidly disappearing worldwide.

populacije vodozemaca su naglo opadale širom sveta.

Nearly one-third of the world's amphibian species

Skoro jedna trećina vrsta vodozemaca na svetu

are endanger of extinction,

je u opasnosti od izumiranja,

and over 100 species have already disappeared.

i preko sto vrsta je već nestalo.

But don't worry, there's still hope.

Ali ne brinite, još ima nade.

Before we get into how to save the frogs,

Pre nego što objasnimo kako spasiti žabe,

let's start by taking a look

počnimo sa time

at why they're disappearing

zašto nestaju

and why it's important to keep them around.

i zašto je bitno da ih spasimo.

Habitat destruction is the number one problem

Uništavanje staništa je prvi problem

for frog populations around the world.

za populacije žaba širom sveta.

There are seven billion humans on the planet,

Na planeti postoji sedam milijardi ljudi

and we compete with frogs for habitat.

i takmičimo se sa žabama oko staništa.

We build cities, suburbs, and farms

Gradimo gradove, predgrađa i farme

on top of frog habitat

na stanovištima žaba

and chop forests

i sečemo šume

and drain the wetlands

i isušujemo močvare

that serve as home

koje su dom

for numerous amphibian populations.

mnogobrojnim populacijama vodozemaca.

Climate change alters precipitation levels,

Promena klime menja nivo padavina,

drying up ponds, streams, and cloud forests.

čime se isušuju bare, potoci i tropske šume.

As the Earth's human population continues to grow,

Kako populacija ljudi na Zemlji raste,

so will the threats amphibians face.

tako će rasti i broj pretnji po vodozemce.

There are a variety of other factors

Postoji niz drugih faktora

contributing to the frogs' decline.

koji doprinose smanjenju broja žaba.

Preterane žetve zbog trgovine ljubimcima i hranom

Over-harvesting for the pet and food trade

results in millions of frogs

za posledicu imaju milione žaba

being taken out of the wild each year.

koje se nose iz divljine svake godine.

Invasive species,

Invazivne vrste,

such as non-native trout and crawfish,

poput stranih pastrmki i rakova,

eat native frogs.

jedu domaće žabe.

Humans are facilitating the spread

Ljudi olakšavaju širenje

of infectious diseases

infektivnih zaraza

by shipping over 100 million amphibians

tako što širom sveta šalju

around the world each year

preko 100 miliona vodozemaca

for use as food, pets, bait,

da se koriste kao hrana, ljubimci, mamac

and in laboratories and zoos,

i u laboratorijama i zoo vrtovima,

with few regulations or quarantines.

uz malo pravila i karantina.

One of these diseases,

Jedna od ovih bolesti,

chytridiomycosis,

hitridiomikoza,

has driven stream-dwelling amphibian populations

dovela je populacije vodozemaca koji nastanjuju potoke

to extinction

do izumiranja

in Africa,

u Africi,

Australia,

Australiji

Europe,

and North, Central, and South America.

Evropi

i Severnoj, Centralnoj i Južnoj Americi.

On top of all these problems,

Povrh svih ovih problema

we add hundreds of millions of kilograms of pesticides

dodajmo i stotine miliona kilograma pesticida

to our ecosystems each year.

svake godine u našim ekosistemima.

And these chemicals are easily absorbed

A ove hemikalije se lako upijaju

through amphibians' permeable skin,

kroz propustivu kožu vodozemaca

causing immunosuppression,

i izazivaju imunosupresiju

or a weakened immune system,

ili oslabljeni imuni sistem,

and developmental deformities.

kao i deformitete u razvoju.

Okay, so why are these little green guys

U redu, a zašto bi vredelo zadržati

worth keeping around?

ova mala zelena stvorenja?

Frogs are important for a multitude of reasons.

Žabe su bitne iz mnoštvo razloga.

They're an integral part of the food web,

One su ključni deo mreže hrane

eating flies, ticks, mosquitoes,

i jedu muve, krpelje, komarce

and other disease vectors,

i druge prenosioce bolesti,

thus, protecting us against malaria,

i time nas štite od malarije,

dengue fever,

dengu groznice

and other illnesses.

i drugih bolesti.

Tadpoles keep waterways clean

Punoglavci čiste vodene tokove

by feeding on algae,

tako što se hrane algama

reducing the demand

i smanjuju potrebu

on our community's filtration systems

za sistemima za filtraciju u našim zajednicama

and keeping our cost of water low.

i održavaju cenu vode niskom.

Frogs serve as a source of food

Žabe su izvor hrane

for birds, fish, snakes, dragonflies, and even monkeys.

za ptice, ribe, zmije, vilin konjice i čak i majmune.

When frogs disappear,

Kada žabe nestanu,

the food web is disturbed,

mreža hrane se remeti,

and other animals can disappear as well.

i tako mogu da nestanu i druge životinje.

Amphibians are also extremely important

Vodozemci su takođe veoma bitni

in human medicine.

za ljudsku medicinu.

Over ten percent of the Nobel prizes

Preko 10% Nobelovih nagrada

in physiology and medicine

za fiziologiju i medicinu

have gone to researchers

dobili su istraživači

whose work depended on amphibians.

čiji rad je zavisio od vodozemaca.

Some of the antimicrobial peptides

Neki od antibakterijskih peptida

on frog skin can kill HIV,

na žabljoj koži mogu da ubiju HIV,

some act as pain killers,

neki se ponašaju kao analgetici,

and others serve as natural mosquito repellents.

dok drugi služe kao prirodno sredstvo za odbijanje komaraca.

Many discoveries await us

Očekuje nas mnogo otkrića

if we can save the frogs,

ukoliko možemo da spasimo žabe,

but when a frog species disappears,

ali kada nestane vrsta žabe,

so does any promise it holds

sa njom nestaje i obećanje

for improving human health.

za poboljšanje ljudskog zdravlja.

Fortunately, there are lots of ways you can help,

Na sreću, postoje mnogi načini na koje možete pomoći

and the best place to start

i najbolje mesto za početak

is by improving your ecological footprint

je poboljšanje vašeg ekološkog traga

and day-to-day actions.

i svakodnevnih postupaka.

The next time you listen to that nighttime lullaby,

Sledećeg puta kada budete slušali tu noćnu uspavanku,

don't think of it as just another background noise,

ne mislite o njoj kao o buci iz pozadine,

hear it as a call for help,

već kao pozivu na pomoć

sung in perfect croaking harmony.

koji je otpevan u savršenoj kreketavoj harmoniji.