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Nearly 100 species of amphibians have been eliminated. More than 500 species of amphibians are in decline. Discovered two decades ago, the chytrid fungus & nbsp;Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis & nbsp;since then has caused mbadive mortality among amphibian species worldwide.
A tropical poison dart frog in a rainforest of Panama.
Getty
A& nbsp;A large group of scientists published an & nbsp; report& nbsp; which covers the extent of& nbsp;B. dendrobatidis& nbsp;destruction. & nbsp;B. dendrobatidis & nbsp;causes chytridiomycosis. They examine a vast collection of data from other published studies, a widely used database and other data collected by amphibian experts.
Amphibian losses from & nbsp;B. dendrobatidis& nbsp; are the largest documented loss of biodiversity of a pathogen. Even compared to the most destructive invasive species, & nbsp;B. dendrobatidis & nbsp;is still extremely devastating. Consider& nbsp; the long rodents omnipresent, threatening 420 species. & nbsp; Or cats, well known to have decimated populations of local birds and other creatures they consider prey. Cats are threatening& nbsp; 430 species. In addition, when compared to other pathogens of wildlife,& nbsp;B. dendrobatidis& nbsp; is always an order of magnitude & nbsp; more damaging than & nbsp; the combination of two well-known diseases. White nose syndrome & nbsp; affects & nbsp;six species of bats and& nbsp; West Nile virus has& nbsp; 23 species of birds 23 species combined. & nbsp;
The researchers discovered three& nbsp;risk& nbsp;factors for amphibian species that are & nbsp; correlated& nbsp;with the greatest losses of chytridiomycosis.
Increased use of aquatic habitat, especially throughout the year.
Amphibian species that live in wet or aquatic habitats year round are at greater risk of chytridiomycosis.
Getty
Amphibian species that lived in constantly wet or waterlogged areas throughout the year were at a much greater risk of & nbsp;chytridiomycosis. & nbsp;B. dendrobatidis & nbsp;dies once dry, so that amphibian species that spend a portion of their life or part of their life completely out of water reduce their chances of catching the disease by simply not surviving and growing.
Larger size
Toads are big enough. They can weigh about 1 kg and reach 25 cm in length.
Getty
In general, larger organisms require more time and investment in breeding to develop. This factor has less to do with the disease and more with the ability of a species to recover from significant population losses due to chytridiomycosis.
Live at higher altitudes or in a relatively smaller range.
A fire salamander in the Czech Republic.
Getty
These factors are related because higher elevations generally have less surface area. Imagine a ring circling a high altitude at the top of a mountain in relation to a ring circling its base: the area at a higher altitude is much smaller. & Nbsp; Species can go up a mountain to find a more suitable habitat because of climate change. However, as you climb the mountain, there is less and less space. Moreover, if the species are able to cover a larger area, they will be more able to find areas where to live and avoid chytridiomycosis, unlike amphibian species that depend on a given area.
Globalization has contributed to the spread of the disease as our world has become more physically connected. Fungal pathogens are often overlooked. Amphibians are not only threatened, but also food security and human health. Understanding how diseases would evolve in concert with climate change would help us predict and mitigate diseases in our wildlife, the ecosystems we live in, the cultures we depend on, and even in ourselves.
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Nearly 100 species of amphibians have been eliminated. More than 500 species of amphibians are in decline. Discovered two decades ago, the chytrid mushroom Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis since then has caused mbadive mortality among amphibian species worldwide.
A tropical poison dart frog in a rainforest of Panama.
Getty
A large group of scientists published a report that covers the extent of B. dendrobatidis destruction. B. dendrobatidis causes chytridiomycosis. They examine a vast collection of data from other published studies, a widely used database and other data collected by amphibian experts.
Amphibian losses from B. dendrobatidis are the largest documented loss of biodiversity of a pathogen. Even compared to the most destructive invasive species, B. dendrobatidis is still extremely devastating. Consider the long rodents omnipresent, threatening 420 species. Or even cats, well known for having decimated the local bird populations and other creatures that they view as prey. Cats are threatening 430 species. In addition, when compared to other pathogens of wildlife, B. dendrobatidis is even more damaging by an order of magnitude than two well – known diseases combined. White nose syndrome affects six species of bats and West Nile Virus a 23 species of birds 23 species combined.
The researchers discovered three risk factors for amphibious species that are correlated with the greatest losses of chytridiomycosis.
Increased use of aquatic habitat, especially throughout the year.
Amphibian species that live in wet or aquatic habitats year round are at greater risk of chytridiomycosis.
Getty
Amphibian species living in areas that were constantly wet or waterlogged throughout the year were at a much greater risk of chytridiomycosis. B. dendrobatidis dies once dry, so that amphibian species that spend a portion of their life or part of their life completely out of water reduce their chances of catching the disease by simply not surviving and growing.
Larger size
Toads are big enough. They can weigh about 1 kg and reach 25 cm in length.
Getty
In general, larger organisms require more time and investment in breeding to develop. This factor has less to do with the disease and more with the ability of a species to recover from significant population losses due to chytridiomycosis.
Live at higher altitudes or in a relatively smaller range.
A fire salamander in the Czech Republic.
Getty
These factors are related because higher elevations generally have less surface area. Imagine a ring circling a high altitude at the top of a mountain in relation to a ring surrounding its base – the area at a higher altitude is much smaller. Species can go up a mountain to find a better habitat because of climate change. However, as you climb the mountain, there is less and less space. Moreover, if the species are able to cover a larger area, they will be more able to find areas where to live and avoid chytridiomycosis, unlike amphibian species that depend on a given area.
Globalization has contributed to the spread of the disease as our world has become more physically connected. Fungal pathogens are often overlooked. Amphibians are not only threatened, but also food security and human health. Understanding how diseases would evolve in concert with climate change would help us predict and mitigate diseases in wildlife, the ecosystems we live in, the crops we rely on and even ourselves.
