Biodiversity is decimated by the cascading effects of the amphibian-killing chytrid fungus

• Published in: PLoS pathogens Vol. 18; no. 7; p. e1010624
• Main Authors: Zipkin, Elise F, DiRenzo, Graziella V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 21.07.2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Amphibia; Amphibians; Aquatic ecosystems; Biodiversity; Biodiversity loss; Biological diversity; Biology and Life Sciences; Chytridiomycosis; Computer and Information Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Ecosystems; Environmental aspects; Epizootics; Fungi; Health aspects; Infections; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mortality; Mountains; Pathogens; Pearls; Rainforests; Rare species; Reptiles & amphibians; Skin; Snakes; Taxonomy; Panama; United States > US; California
• ISSN: 1553-7374; 1553-7366; 1553-7374
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010624

To date, only three locations worldwide have such data available (to varying degrees): tropical rainforests near El Copé, Panama; montane rainforests in Queensland, Australia; and the Sierra Nevada mountains in central California, United States (Fig 1). [...]our knowledge on the consequences of widespread amphibian losses from Bd-related chytridiomycosis is fairly limited in scope, and as a result, the scientific literature likely underestimates the true extent of the problem within and across ecosystems. Because many amphibians have both aquatic (e.g., tadpole) and terrestrial (e.g., adult) life stages, their losses have the potential for wide ranging top-down and bottom-up impacts within ecosystems (Fig 2; [31]). [...]in California, garter snakes declined following amphibian mass mortality from a Bd-related chytridiomycosis epizootic [38], and, in Panama, where snake richness and diversity are quite high, the loss of amphibians led to a >20% decline in the estimated richness of local snake species [40]. Some snake species that were thought to be generalists also decreased in occurrence, suggesting that there may be other, indirect effects of Bd epizootics that are not easily measured. Because many tropical species are rare, and thus difficult to sample, the true rates and mechanisms of biodiversity loss caused by Bd-related