Pumpkin toadlets and the disappearance of amphibians

• Grant number: 23/17980-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Journalism
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: January 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Grantee: Júlia Mendes Pereira Checchinato
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/11096-8 - From the natural history to the conservation of Brazilian amphibinas, AP.TEM

Abstract

"Amphibians are the most threatened group among all vertebrates. Plagued by the pandemic of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), habitat loss, and climate change, populations are decreasing at alarming rates, setting the stage for a mass extinction event. Educational actions aimed at raising awareness among the non-academic public about this situation are necessary, albeit challenging. In popular perception, amphibians tend to evoke repulsion due to their involvement in legends and superstitions. Therefore, it is necessary to re-engage the public with these animals by disseminating scientific information about them in order to demystify and highlight their threats. Presenting charismatic species with captivating morphology and/or curious biology can help achieve these goals. The pumpkin toadlets, members of the Brachycephalus genus, meet these requirements, being among the smallest tetrapods in the world with many peculiarities that make them fascinating for a proposal like the present one. Additionally, some populations have also suffered from threats and can soon serve as examples to introduce the theme of nature conservation. Therefore, we propose to produce a series of podcasts, reels for social media, and video reports addressing topics related to the biology of pumpkin toadlets, the Bd fungus pandemic, and the mass extinction of amphibians. This project will be based at the Laboratory of Natural History of Brazilian Amphibians, supported by the FAPESP thematic project 'From the natural history to the conservation of Brazilian amphibians'."