Thursday 22 December 2016

"After the epidemic": New review paper on chytrid epidemics in Australian amphibians

Ben Scheele and coauthors review the effects of chytridiomycosis on amphibian populations in Australia in a new paper in Biological Conservation (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320716310126).
Some highlights from the abstract:
"Chytridiomycosis in amphibians (caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd) is an exemplar, with impacts ranging from rapid population crashes and extinctions, to population declines and subsequent recoveries."
"Population trajectories of declined species are highly variable; six species are experiencing ongoing declines, eight species are apparently stable and 11 species are recovering."
"Our results highlight that while some species are expanding, Bd continues to threaten species long after its emergence."