Michelle Boone, an assistant professor of zoology, and graduate student Holly Puglis are studying how well northern cricket frogs fare over their lifespan at Twin Run Golf Course in Hamilton, Oxford Country Club and Hueston Woods Golf Course.

The ?EUR??,,????'??rough?EUR??,,????'?? areas on golf courses could provide living space for amphibians and other wildlife displaced by homes and other developments.

?EUR??,,????'??This could be a big payoff to wildlife with minimal distraction to golfers, and it helps put back some of the green space other developments take away,?EUR??,,????'?? she said.

Amphibians are great subjects for study because they?EUR??,,????'???re the biggest population in most ecosystems, Puglis said.

?EUR??,,????'??They?EUR??,,????'???re a huge component in the food chain,?EUR??,,????'?? she said. Amphibians eat insects, including mosquitoes, and plants, such as algae. They?EUR??,,????'???re also a food source for other animals.

They spend part of their life in water and part on land, so the effects of chemicals, mowing and other factors can be observed at both ends of their lifespan, she said.

For the study, Puglis placed tadpoles in the ponds at the golf courses and the university property.

Groundskeepers on the golf courses have stopped cutting grass all the way to the edge of the pond or lake to create a buffer zone. The grassy zone can stop some chemical runoff from pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers and provide shelter and food when the tadpoles mature into frogs, she said.

One pond on the university property won?EUR??,,????'???t have the grassy buffer zone, she said.

Boone and Puglis predict the buffers will increase survival among the golf course frogs. That?EUR??,,????'???s what they?EUR??,,????'???ve seen in other studies with different types of amphibians.

Some chemicals used for landscape maintenance kill the insects and algae amphibians eat. Some either kill the amphibians themselves or disrupt their sexual development.

If landscapers use fewer chemicals, the amphibians will eat troublesome insects and algae, Boone said.

Their findings will help the researchers and golf course managers understand the effects of constantly mowing, manicuring and fertilizing the grounds on amphibians and other wildlife, Boone said.

The research is paid for by the National Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Golf Association.