Amphibian project

Help from the Tyrolean “DNA detectives” is now needed

Corinna Wallinger (left) and Martina Nindl-Kaplenig (second from left) (both University of Innsbruck) and LR René Zumtobel (right)

(Bild: Birbaumer Johanna)

The university is counting on the Tyroleans for the "Frog in a drop of water" project. It worked wonderfully back in 2019 and the Tyroleans actively contributed to the university's amphibian research. This is also important because all amphibians in Austria are on the red list, i.e. under threat. The concept is now being rolled out across Austria.

Not fish, not meat, you could say - or both? Amphibians are animals that apparently can't make up their minds: First, most of them live in water and breathe through gills like fish, later they are on land and breathe via lungs. Hence their name: "amphibian" means "double-living". In other words, they are the mermaids of the animal world.

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

Frogs, toads, amphibians - and what else? This genus has not yet been as well researched as one would like. Mainly because all amphibians in Austria are on the "red list", i.e. threatened with extinction. The University of Innsbruck therefore relied on the Tyroleans for a research project and called on the population in 2019 to become "DNA detectives" and take a close look at (smaller) bodies of water throughout Tyrol.

"The Tyroleans are simply reliable"
It worked extremely well. So well, in fact, that the project is now being rolled out across Austria. "The Tyroleans are simply reliable," says Provincial Councillor René Zumtobel (SPÖ). The "Frog in a drop of water" project is now entering its second round and the population is once again being called upon to become researchers. And this is how it works: If you have a pond in your garden yourself - or perhaps know a small body of water from walks - that looks like it could be home to tadpoles and the like, you can register for the project until the end of March. Experts will then decide which bodies of water are suitable.

Fakten

Registration: www.uibk.ac.at/projects/frosch-im-wassertropfen

From April, 1120 selected project participants will receive a sampling kit by post, including detailed instructions. A small filter sample contains important environmental DNA: which amphibians are living here? And are there any traces of the dangerous, introduced amphibian fungus "Bd"? The university and the state are counting on the Tyroleans!