Amphibians across the globe are facing calamitous declines. Around a
third of species are critically threatened, while extinction
rates for amphibians are 200 times higher than for
other vertebrates. Several factors underlie these changes: widespread
habitat
loss, climate change and toxic chemicals in
environmental run-off, among others. However, the most prominent cause
of epidemic
mortality is the fungal pathogen
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, known more simply as Bd. Where it is common, Bd decimates populations. Puzzlingly, however, while Bd infection rates in
some ponds are extremely high, other ponds are hardly affected. New research published in
Current Biology offers a compelling explanation for this variation. Simultaneously, the results offer a novel route to mitigate Bd-induced
amphibian loss.
The conclusion is very nice!
Frog's little helpers
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