Cool Science

Hope for Amphibians

In case you missed it, a team of scientists, including some from WCS, recently released interesting findings about the deadly chytrid fungus, which is wiping out amphibians worldwide.

Climate change may make environmental conditions for the fungus unsuitable in some regions and potentially stave off the spread of disease in African amphibian populations.

There was another interesting finding as well: the majority of infected frogs in the study area did not show the presence of disease, indicating they may be regionally resistant. The study took place in Africa's wildlife-rich Albertine Rift, which extends along parts of Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Tanzania.

"The long history of chytrid in the Albertine Rift," said co-author Dr. Andrew Plumtree of WCS, "coupled with our findings that most frogs found carrying this fungus appeared to be in good health, gives us hope that frogs in this part of Africa are somewhat resistant to this disease."