Trouble in the aquatic world: how wildlife professionals are battling amphibian declines

Abstract

Aparasitic fungus, similar to the one that caused the extinction of numerous tropical frog and toad species, is killing salamanders in Europe. Scientists first identified the fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, in 2013 as the culprit behind the death of fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) in the Netherlands (Martel et al. 2013) and are now exploring its potential impact to other species. Although the fungus, which kills the amphibians by infecting their skin, has not yet spread to the United States, researchers believe it’s only a matter of time before it does and, when that happens, the impact on salamander populations could be devastating (Martel et al. 2014).

Citation

Olson, Deanna H.; Chestnut, Tara. 2014. Trouble in the aquatic world: how wildlife professionals are battling amphibian declines. The Wildlife Society. Winter: 28-31.