Climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as droughts, storms, fires, and floods; this is profoundly impacting global ecosystems. Climate change-induced extreme weather events are known to negatively impact biodiversity, but studies remain limited in taxonomic scope. Among the most impacted vertebrates are amphibians, with over 40% of species currently threatened with extinction. Amphibians have been identified as particularly vulnerable to impacts from climate change, however, the effects of extreme weather events on amphibians are not well understood. Employing a Before-After-Control-Impact study design, we leverage over 500,000 frog occurrence records from the national citizen science project FrogID to assess broadscale changes in species richness and 41 individual species’ spatial occupancy following unprecedentedly severe wildfires and floods in eastern Australia. We reveal no significant changes in frog species richness or spatial occupancy in areas affected by the 2019-2020 ‘Black Summer Bushfires’ but show significantly lower species richness and spatial occupancy following the 2022 extreme flooding events in affected areas. Our results demonstrate the short-term resilience of many frog species following climate-induced wildfires, but highlight the potential vulnerability of amphibian communities following extreme flooding. We emphasize the need for research and conservation efforts addressing the impacts of extreme weather events driven by rapid climatic shifts. In particular, we highlight floods as an underappreciated threat to biodiversity.
Too Much of a Good Thing? Flooding Poses a Hidden Threat to Frogs on a Wildfire-Prone Continent
Year: 2025