Chytrid and amphibians

A paper published by Rob Puschendorf and Ben Phillips from Australia called “Do pathogens become more virulent as they spread? Evidence from the amphibian declines in Central America”, re-examines prevalence data on the amphibian chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and amphibian population decline across 13 sites from southern Mexico through Central America and show that, in the initial phases of the Bd invasion, amphibian population decline lagged approximately nine years behind the arrival of the pathogen, but that this lag diminished markedly over time.  In total, their analysis suggests an increase in Bd virulence as it spread southwards; a pattern consistent with rapid evolution of increased virulence on Bd’s invading front. The impact of Bd on amphibians might, therefore, be driven by rapid evolution in addition to more proximate environmental drivers.

Atelopus varius - Harlequin Frog

Histo image of chytrid

Citation: Phillips, B. L., & Puschendorf, R. (2013). Do pathogens become more virulent as they spread? Evidence from the amphibian declines in Central America. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280(1766), 20131290. doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.1290

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