Archey's Frog

Archey's Frog

Online interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about adaptations and using this knowledge to think about actions to manage endangered species.

Question Change answer

Here are some patterns that scientists have observed about frogs.
Frogs' skin: Skin is very important to frogs. Their skin is adapted so water and oxygen can pass through it into the frog's body. Why is their skin adapted in this way? 
Like us, frogs breathe through lungs. However, their  lungs are not well developed, so they get extra oxygen through their skin. They get their water through their skin too, instead of drinking through their mouths. Frogs' skin has to be damp so water and oxygen can pass through. This is why most frogs live close to streams, ponds and swamps.
 
To show how frogs and humans are the same and different, drag the statements to fill in the Venn diagram.
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Question Change answer

Archey’s frog is one of New Zealand’s native frogs. Archey's frogs are different from most frogs, because they do not need to live close to streams or ponds. However, like other frogs, they need their skin damp so they can take in oxygen and water.
 
In the table below are some observations (things scientists have noticed) about Archey's frogs. Drag the explanations below that best explain each observation.
 
 archey's frog
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Question

Chytrid fungus is a disease that is killing frogs around the world, including Archey's frogs.
The video is about threats to Archey's frogs.
Move the slider to 2 minutes of playing time to listen to the information about chytrid fungus.
 
 
From the evidence the video clip has provided, which are possible explanations for why chytrid fungus may be killing off Archey's frogs? (Select as many as you think could be true.)

    • The frogs might not be able to take in oxygen so well.

    • It eats away the frogs' insides.

    • It can cause slight redness on the stomachs and legs of the frogs

    • The frogs might not get enough water.

    • It damages the skin.

    • Archey's frogs are endangered.

Question 1Change answer

Archey's frogs are endangered. Because they were found in only one place, scientists shifted some of them to a new home. Now if anything happens there is a better chance that some Archey's frogs will survive.

Why would scientists need to understand the adaptations of Archey's frogs when deciding where to put them?
Give as many reasons as you can.

Task administration: 
Two resources about New Zealand native frogs were developed together. The other resource, Pepeketua - New Zealand native frogs, is about comparing the life cycles of native and introduced frogs.
Copyright: 
Archeys2.jpg
Photograph: Phil Bishop, http://www.nzfrogs.org/
Permission granted for educational use.
Level:
5
Curriculum info: 
Science, Understanding about science, Living World
Key Competencies: 
Thinking
Keywords: 
ecology, adaptation, sustainability, conservation, frogs, native frogs, Archey's Frog, chytrid fungus, kaitiakitanga
Description of task: 
Task: Answer questions about frog's skin adaptations, and use this information to think about consequences of chytrid fungus for Archey's frogs. Assessment focus: using information to think about management of native endangered species.
Curriculum Links: 
Science capabilities
The capabilities focus is brought about by the conversations you have and the questions you ask.  
 
Capability: Use evidence
This resource provides opportunities to discuss the evidence needed to support an explanation.
Science capability: Use evidence (TKI)
 
Capability: Interpret representations
This resource provides opportunities to discuss scientific conventions for representing data in Venn diagrams.
Science capability: Interpret representations (TKI)
Science capabilities: 
Interpret representations, Use evidence
Answers/responses: 
Question What to look for
Completing a Venn diagram
 
answer-archey-frog.png
Match explanations to observations
Archey's frogs have moist skin so they can take in oxygen and water through their skin.
Archey's frogs are more active during the night so they can avoid warmer temperatures that might dry out their skin.
Archey's frogs live in damp cool forests because the air and surroundings supply enough moisture to keep their skin damp.
Archey's frogs live in  damper environments than most other frogs because they have not evolved to living in or near water.
Use evidence to identify possible explanations for why chytrid fungus may be killing Archey's frogs
All three of:
  • The frogs might not be able to take in oxygen so well.
  • The frogs might not get enough water.
  • It damages the skin.
Why would scientists need to understand the adaptations of Archey's frogs when deciding where to put them?
 Do the reasons given include:
  • a clear link to the adaptations (e.g. damp skin)?
  • a clear link to the life processes (oxygen/breathing, taking in water)?
  • identification of a suitable environment (damp, cool)?
Examples
  • Because they need to have damp skin.They need water to pass through their skin. They need a home with water for them to take in. They need to be surrounded by forestry for oxygen and damp moisture in the trees.
  • Archey's frogs take in water and oxygen using their skin, but this is only effective if their skin is damp. Archey's frogs have not adapted to living in watery conditions, like a swamp or pond, they instead have adapted to live in forests where the air's moisture helps to keep their skin damp.
Diagnostic and formative information: 
Data was gathered from 58 Year 10 students, October 2015.
 
Venn diagrams
Assessment purpose: Can students process provided information?
About 70% of the trial students completed the diagram correctly.
Most appeared to know how to complete a Venn diagram. The task did provide some scaffolding (completing rather than having to start from scratch).
There was no clear pattern for the wrong answers.  
Next Steps
Nature of Science: Communicating in science (Science Capability: Interpret representations)
  • Discuss with students that Venn diagrams are useful for comparing similarities and differences.
  • Provide opportunities for students to develop their own Venn diagrams. Support them to think about what categories they need for their comparison.
  • Once students are confident comparing two things, they could be introduced to reading and then creating more complex Venn diagrams.
  • Venn diagrams provides guidelines for using them as an assessment strategy.
 
Observation and inference
Science is about making observations and making inferences to explain these.
Assessment purpose: Can students recognise the evidence that backs up an inference?
About 40% of the trial students correctly matched all four observations and explanations.
Of the rest, not one matched Archey's frogs live in damp cold forests ... because the air and surroundings supply enough moisture to keep their skin damp.
 
 
Next Steps
Nature of Science: Participating and contributing (Science Capability: Use evidence)
  • Ask students to find the supporting evidence for each proposition. Does the evidence identified actually support the statement?
 
Making evidence-based decisions 
Data from earlier ARB resource trialling  indicates that students can describe adaptations but find it much more challenging to identify how these enable species to survive in the environments they live in. This was the case for many of the trial students.
  • A very small number, just over 10%, linked a suitable habitat to enabling Archey's frogs to take in oxygen and water.
  • A further approximately 40% discussed either oxygen/breathing or water.
  • About 5% mentioned the particular adaptation, damp skin.
  • About 30% identified a suitable habitat but did not make any links to adaptations or basic needs.
Example: Different frogs live in different temperatures. This may harm the frog if the temperature isn't right.
  • Many students, including some who made good links to adaptations, included all sorts of other considerations that would need to be made, such as freedom from predators, disease, competition for resources, access to food, etc. This perhaps indicates a good general awareness of the issues facing endangered species, but perhaps less of

    • the importance of knowledge of adaptations
    • the specific needs of different species.
Example: There could be other animals in the area that could hurt or kill the frogs.
 
Next Steps
Nature of Science:Understanding about science (Science Capability: Use evidence)
To focus on the relationship between an organism, an adaptation and the environment:
  • Create a series of what (the adaptation), how (the benefits) and where (habitat) statements
  • Get students (individually, in pairs or groups) to identify first which category each statement fits
  • Match the 'whats' to 'hows' and 'wheres'.
Statements could relate to several adaptations of one animal or plant, or one type of adaptation in several animals or plants.
Example:
What How Where
moist skin enables absorption of water and oxygen cool damp forest
 
Ask students to think about what changes to environmental conditions might have led to most species of frogs moving to spending part of of their lives in water whereas Archey's frogs didn't. Encourage them to justify their ideas.
The Science Learning Hub includes resources on native frogs.
http://www.nzfrogs.org/ is a website about native frogs, including research and conservation.
A garden food web is a L5 ARB task that includes Venn diagrams.
Venn diagrams article
The following Level 5 ARB resources are about adaptations: