4.1 Those Awesome Amphibians

1. To a large degree, geographical distribution depends on the habitat requirements of each species. Although it can affect their distribution, suitable habitat does not necessarily guarantee that a species will be present. There is no simple explanation to account for the presence of a species in one wetland and not in another of similar characteristics. By comparing similar habitats closely, we possibly could infer why such habitats do not support such species. An interesting observation to bring to the attention of students is the proximity of these distributions to human habitation. Trends can be established between animal populations in relation to human encroachment. The impact of human activity usually results in habitat loss, thus resulting in animal declines.

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4.4 The Making Of A Frog

1. The leopard frog's front toes are not webbed, and the hind toes are webbed. This suggests that the hind feet are used for swimming. The webbing provides a greater surface area to push water.

The answers to the Amphibian Adaptations "fill-in-the-blanks" table can be viewed in this pop-up window (available here if you cannot view pop-up windows).

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4.5 All Things Must Pass

1. In Beaker A, the most water moved into the egg from the beaker. The egg became swollen and turgid. The selectively permeable membrane allows water to pass into the egg. The concentration of water is higher in the beaker than in the egg.
2. In Beaker B, the most water moved into the solution from the egg. The egg became smaller and limp. The selectively permeable membrane allows only water to pass into the beaker. The concentration of water is higher in the egg than in the beaker.
3. Osmosis occurred. This can be tested by weighing the egg and contents of the beaker before and after the experiment. In both cases, water passed through the membrane, with the net flow being from a region of high concentration of water to a region of low concentration of water.
4. A major portion of cell mass is water. Water is essential for most living processes to occur. Cells maintain proper levels of water through osmosis.
5. Osmosis occurs through the skin of amphibians.

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4.8 Classing Creatures

1. They could include: with or without laces, one particular colour, more than one colour, size, boys or girls, brand name, etc.
2. Classifying is necessary to sort related things into logical groups. When they are sorted, we see similarities and differences between the groups.
3. The newspaper and the telephone book.

4.8 Classing Animals

The answers to the Classing Animals pop-up table can be viewed in this pop-up table (available here if you cannot view pop-up windows).

LIFE IN A WETLAND - CLASSIFICATION

The answers to the Life in a Wetland pop-up table can be viewed in this pop-up table (available here if you cannot view pop-up windows).

ZOO WETLAND SPECIES - CLASSIFICATION

The answers to the Zoo Wetland Species pop-up table can be viewed in this pop-up table (available here if you cannot view pop-up windows).

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4.9 What's In A Name?

1. Spotted Salamander - Ambystoma maculatum
2. Mudpuppy - Necturus maculosus
3. Spring Peeper - Pseudacris crucifer
4. Pickerel Frog - Rana palustris
5. Eastern Red-backed Salamander - Plethodon cinereus
6. Gray Treefrog - Hyla versicolore
7. Four-toed Salamander - Hemidactylium scutatum
8. Striped Chorus Frog - Pseudacris triseriata
9. Green Frog - Rana clamitans
10. Northern Two-lined Salamander - Eurycea bislineata

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