Shows how Australia’s burrowing frogs handle the heat

Image: Stephen Mahony - Researchers have shown how the unique genetic make-up of a group of Australian frogs could be the key to their survival, allowing them to better withstand our harsh climate. The team of biologists from The Australian National University (ANU), Ghent University in Belgium and the South Australian Museum studied a group of nine species of burrowing frogs, Neobatrachus . It's the first time researchers have looked at Australia's burrowing frogs and how their genetic characteristics help them survive extreme environmental conditions. One of the paper's lead authors, Dr Ian Brennan, says these burrowing frogs stand out because some species have four sets of chromosomes, instead of the usual two. "While this is fairly common in plants, it's rare in animals and the implications are not well understood," Dr Brennan said. "It doesn't happen often - but here it's happened three times in one genus. And we're talking about three independent events; the three species are not closely related." The study also found higher genetic diversity in the species with extra sets of chromosomes - known as polyploids.