Frogs used for dissection are starting to die out.
Frogs are one of the animals high schools around the country dissect as part of biology classes. The students are given frogs preserved in formaldehyde and are expected to cut the frog open to learn about inner organs. Unfortunately, many of the frogs used in dissection are from the wild, resulting in effects on frog populations.
Decrease of Populations
Wild caught frogs are the main source of frogs used for dissection in the classroom. This means that many of the frogs used for dissection are coming from areas which need frogs as part of the natural ecosystem. The more frogs taken out of the wild, the fewer there are available to reproduce. This results in a decrease in frogs which are used in the classroom.
Dissection Arguments
Frog dissection arguments vary depending on the group. Some groups, like biology teachers, feel that the dissection is an important part of student education. Students need to understand the ideas they are learning in class and teachers use dissection as an aid to understanding. Other groups argue against frog dissection because the frogs are caught in the wild, and some areas are seeing depletion of frog populations. Heather Clark, a writer for the Dunnellon High School's newspaper, points out that reduced frog populations leads to more pesticide use in areas where frogs were once plentiful and ate the insects. This lowering of wild frog populations has an effect on both the food chain and on the ecosystem.
Threatened Extinction
In some areas of the world, frog populations have depleted to the point that some frog species are rare and even going extinct. While some of the reasons are related to the loss of habitat or pollution, which kill frogs and other amphibians, the use of frogs for classroom dissection is another contributing factor which compounds the problem.
Alternatives to Dissection
Dissection of frogs is no longer a necessity for classroom use. There are alternatives, such as frog dissection computer programs which provide simulated dissections, videos of frog dissections and models of frogs complete with internal organs. The alternatives allow teachers to give students the information needed from the dissection while also preventing further destruction of frog populations around the globe.
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