Chytridiomycosis and Amphibian Population Declines

Authors: Douglas C Woodhams Vanessa L Kilburn Laura K Reinert Jamie Voyles Daniel Medina Roberto Ibáñez Alex D Hyatt Donna G Boyle James D Pask David M Green Louise A RollinsSmith

Publish Date: 2008/09/20

Volume: 5, Issue: 3, Pages: 268-274

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Abstract

Chytridiomycosis is a globally emerging disease of amphibians and the leading cause of population declines and extirpations at speciesdiverse montane sites in Central America We continued longterm monitoring efforts for the presence of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Bd and for amphibian populations at two sites in western Panama and we began monitoring at three new sites to the east Population declines associated with chytridiomycosis emergence were detected at Altos de Campana National Park We also detected Bd in three species east of the Panama Canal at Soberanía National Park and prevalence data suggests that Bd may be enzootic in the lowlands of the park However no infected frogs were found further east at Tortí prevalence 75 with 95 confidence Our results suggest that Panama’s diverse and not fully described amphibian communities east of the canal are at risk Precise predictions of future disease emergence events are not possible until factors underlying disease emergence such as dispersal are understood However if the fungal pathogen spreads in a pattern consistent with previous disease events in Panama then detection of Bd at Tortí and other areas east of the Panama Canal is imminent Therefore development of new management strategies and increased precautions for tourism recreation and biology are urgently neededWe thank Santana Arcia Arquímides Batista Forrest Brem Roberto Brenes James Coronado Iván Domínguez Aurelio González César Jaramillo Fr Wally Kasuboski Karen Lips Julie Ray Corrine Richards and Manuel Rivera This research was supported by NSF IRCEB grant DEB0213851 James P Collins PI subcontracts to LA RollinsSmith and AD Hyatt and grants IOB0520847 and IOB0619536 to LA RollinsSmith and a NSERC Canada Discovery Grant to DM Green Scientific collecting permits from the government of Panama Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente were arranged with the assistance of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute STRI We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of STRI for logistical support for the all of the studies in Panama

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