{"id":12182,"date":"2024-07-11T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=12182"},"modified":"2024-06-28T04:44:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T04:44:53","slug":"our-frog-saunas-could-help-save-endangered-species-from-the-devastating-chytrid-fungus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/our-frog-saunas-could-help-save-endangered-species-from-the-devastating-chytrid-fungus\/","title":{"rendered":"Our \u2018frog saunas\u2019 could help save endangered species from the devastating chytrid\u00a0fungus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n Anthony Waddle<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n Anthony Waddle<\/a>, Macquarie University<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

All over the world, frogs are being wiped out by the chytrid fungus. At least 500 species have declined, including as many as 90 species now presumed extinct<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

This catastrophic and ongoing biodiversity loss<\/a> surpasses the devastation wrought by other notorious invasive species such as cats, rats and even cane toads. Short of removing species from the wild and treating them in captivity, few strategies exist to deal with the chytrid threat. <\/p>\n\n

Our new research<\/a>, published today in the journal Nature, offers a promising option.<\/p>\n\n

Outbreaks of chytrid (pronounced \u201cKY-trid\u201d) are more common in cold winter months \u2013 just like seasonal human flu. We found a way to combat these winter outbreaks using heat. Our purpose-built \u201cfrog saunas\u201d allow affected amphibians to warm up and bake off their infections. They are so simple you can build a frog sauna using supplies from the hardware store.<\/p>\n\n

Why should we care about frogs?<\/h2>\n\n

If frogs\u2019 good looks are not enough for you to care about their welfare, perhaps learning how they contribute to the environment or human health will pique your interest. <\/p>\n\n

Frogs eat insects<\/a> that carry and spread human diseases. Their skin is also a rich source of new medicines that could help us combat antibiotic-resistant \u201csuperbugs<\/a>\u201d or curb the startling increase in opioid addiction<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

The frogs themselves are food for many predators<\/a>, including humans<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Often starting life as a tadpole eating algae, before morphing into a carnivorous adult, frogs carry energy from aquatic ecosystems onto land \u2013 where it can be transferred throughout the food web. So losing a single frog species can have serious flow-on effects.<\/p>\n\n

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\n The green and golden bell frog has declined from more than 90% of its former range since the chytrid fungus arrived in Australia.<\/span>\n Anthony Waddle<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

The origin and spread of chytrid<\/h2>\n\n

It\u2019s likely the chytrid fungus originated in Asia<\/a>, where the pathogen seems to coexist with native amphibians. But chytrid is deadly elsewhere, possibly because other frogs have no natural defences. <\/p>\n\n

Chytrid harms frogs by disrupting the integrity of their skin, depleting electrolytes needed for heart function. Infected frogs can die of cardiac arrest<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Chytrid has spread worldwide through the trade of amphibians, becoming a seemingly permanent part of ecosystems. As eradicating chytrid from the wild is not possible, we need a way to help frogs battle infection.<\/p>\n\n

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