Spending a few months in low-cost backyard spas could help frogs fight off a deadly fungal infection. That’s the finding of a new study.
Scientists in Australia placed small brick structures in sunny spots. Later, green and golden bell frogs infected with chytrid (KIH-trid) fungus took shelter in these cubbies. In little time, the frogs warmed up enough to fight off that fungal pathogen. Anthony W. Waddle and his team report their findings in the July 11 Nature.
The chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) invades the thin skin of amphibians. Once established, a chytrid infection blocks the flow of electrolytes, other fluids and oxygen into and through the body. That can disrupt the animal’s ability to move and feed itself. These effects can be fatal.
These infections have been linked to population declines in at least 500 amphibian species across the globe. Hit especially hard is the Australian green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea). This species can no longer be found in 90 percent of areas it used to call home.
Saunas for frogs
Chytrid is known to thrive at relatively cool temperatures. In the lab, it can’t grow and reproduce above 30° Celsius (86° Fahrenheit). A bell frog’s optimal temperature is around 29 °C (84 °F) — one that’s not ideal for chytrid. But in winter, when air temperatures drop, chytrid infection rates spike in these frogs.
Waddle is part of a team that wanted to test whether warm hideouts could help frogs fight off the fungus. A conservation biologist, Waddle works at Macquarie University in Australia. The team set up 12 outdoor habitats for the frogs. Each one included water, artificial plants and shelters made of black masonry bricks. The bricks were enclosed in little greenhouses.
The team placed healthy frogs in four of the habitats. In the other eight, they introduced a mix of healthy frogs and ones infected with chytrid. Cloth shaded half of the shelters. The other half…
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