A fungus disease, known as Chytridiomycosis (Seen in the Micrograph below), has been responsible for the extiniction of 90 amphibian species over the last 20 years. It has gone around the world and marked the decline of at least 491 other species. Plus, what makes things worse is that only 12% of the species hit are recovering.
There has be a report written by Ben C. Scheeles and his colleagues (Published in Science) which explains the horrible inpact of the fungus on all types of amphibians - frogs, toads and salamanders. It's where I have got this information as well as two new articles (Wired's, UK version and Science's article). Ben C. Scheele's report shines a light on the human aspect of the spread, with us transporting the fungus worldwide due to the pet trade.
The fungus, Chytridiomycosis, is caused by two fungi species - Bactrachochytrium dendrobatidis (discovered back in 1998) and B. Salamandrivorans (discovered in 2013), which both orginated in Asia. B. dendrobatidis targets frogs and toads while the sister species, B. Salamandrivorans. The fungi destroys the skin of the animals before triggering heart attacks. It orginated in Asia and then started to spread a centuary ago. Australlian, Mesoamerican (Mexico and central America) along with South American ecosystems have been the most affected by the fungi, especially with their larger animals. But, the threat isn't over just yet. These fungi could spread to other countries like Madagascar where the disease hasn't been yet.
So far, there is only one species within Europe that has been affected with this fungus strain... And lets hope it stays that way. Because experiments have shown that many more species are vulnerable if it spreads.
The disease is particular lethal to a type of amphibian called a Caecillian. I have mentioned these amphibians once before in my blog posts. It was part of my work life blog series, referencing a science communication show for adults which I attended - Science Republic. Caecillian are very rare, limbless amphibian which lives undergound. These amphibians are located in Central America - which is right where these fungi has affected the ecosystems the most.
Due to these fungi, researches have called for tighter regulations on the pet trade and tighter biosecurity at borders.
At work (The University of Wolverhampton), we had a staff memo about this topic. The University of Wolverhampton has partnered up with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) as well as the University of Salford. They reported that scientists are urging the public to help them investiage the toad shortage in the UK. The news article didn't suggest the proper cause. Only that it could be habitat destruction, road death or pollution. Though I reckon that they are trying to work out whether B. dendrobatidis has entered the UK.
If you want to help the scientists - you can!
The scientists are asking us to play wildlife detectives and gather mouth swabs from live frogs (or toe tips from those killed on the road). The scientists will use the samples to obtain DNA to look at the genetic diversity.
 Scanning Electron Micrograph of Chytrid Fungus by CSIRO |
There has be a report written by Ben C. Scheeles and his colleagues (Published in Science) which explains the horrible inpact of the fungus on all types of amphibians - frogs, toads and salamanders. It's where I have got this information as well as two new articles (Wired's, UK version and Science's article). Ben C. Scheele's report shines a light on the human aspect of the spread, with us transporting the fungus worldwide due to the pet trade.
The fungus, Chytridiomycosis, is caused by two fungi species - Bactrachochytrium dendrobatidis (discovered back in 1998) and B. Salamandrivorans (discovered in 2013), which both orginated in Asia. B. dendrobatidis targets frogs and toads while the sister species, B. Salamandrivorans. The fungi destroys the skin of the animals before triggering heart attacks. It orginated in Asia and then started to spread a centuary ago. Australlian, Mesoamerican (Mexico and central America) along with South American ecosystems have been the most affected by the fungi, especially with their larger animals. But, the threat isn't over just yet. These fungi could spread to other countries like Madagascar where the disease hasn't been yet.
So far, there is only one species within Europe that has been affected with this fungus strain... And lets hope it stays that way. Because experiments have shown that many more species are vulnerable if it spreads.
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| Photo Credits: Wikipedia |
Due to these fungi, researches have called for tighter regulations on the pet trade and tighter biosecurity at borders.
...
At work (The University of Wolverhampton), we had a staff memo about this topic. The University of Wolverhampton has partnered up with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) as well as the University of Salford. They reported that scientists are urging the public to help them investiage the toad shortage in the UK. The news article didn't suggest the proper cause. Only that it could be habitat destruction, road death or pollution. Though I reckon that they are trying to work out whether B. dendrobatidis has entered the UK.
If you want to help the scientists - you can!
The scientists are asking us to play wildlife detectives and gather mouth swabs from live frogs (or toe tips from those killed on the road). The scientists will use the samples to obtain DNA to look at the genetic diversity.
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