Biology Professor Awarded Grant to Study Local Amphibians

ALBION, Mich. – Dean McCurdy, assistant professor of biology at Albion College, was recently awarded nearly $20,000 to conduct high-tech exploration into the health of Michigan amphibians. The grant, awarded by the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute of Hastings, will fund two research projects, to be done by McCurdy and two Albion College students, at Cedar Creek in the summer of 2005.

McCurdy’s research will provide information on causes of Michigan amphibian decline, as well as offer possible solutions to stop that decline. “Amphibians are our ‘canary in a coal mine’; they are important indicators of the health of the whole community,” says McCurdy. Amphibians are particularly sensitive to pollutants that also affect human health, he explains, “so providing healthy habitats for amphibians is good for humans, too.”

One of McCurdy’s research projects will investigate the life cycle of Aeromonas hydrophila, a parasite which has been identified as a possible cause of amphibian population decline in North America. McCurdy, who has extensive research experience studying the effects of parasites on their hosts, notes that “the types of interactions you see between parasites and hosts can be applied to all sorts of different systems. “We’re studying frogs because they’re a conservation concern, and because they’re a good model – like lab rats for understanding how parasites work in many of the animals in the Great Lakes region.”

The second project promises a “never-seen-before” look at how amphibians populate and move about their habitats. McCurdy and his student assistant will use “button” sensors to record temperature and humidity at several locations in the Cedar Creek preserve, then map the populations of salamanders in that area with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology. “By understanding very specific habitat requirements for salamanders, we can learn what types of habitat are most important to conserve,” explains McCurdy. “This information can make conservation much more effective, especially for animals that are seriously threatened.”

The Pierce Cedar Creek Institute located on 661 acres in Hastings, Michigan, promotes research and education in environmental and conservation issues. The Institute is open to the public, and also supports the work of researchers who come from institutions throughout the Midwest. McCurdy and his students are part of the Institute’s first class of Undergraduate Research Grants in the Environment, which will host up to 20 students and their faculty advisers during the summer of 2005.