Have you also thought of how the frogs were suddenly disappearing in the 1980s? If you do, then don’t panic, the scientist has stats to provide evidence of natural fluctuation over time. But, the World Congress of Herpetology was quite worried by the year 1990 because the frogs were disappearing. The researchers were not able to find them, and they couldn’t even understand the reasons for their disappearance.
The disappearance of the frog
Crises of the disappearance of the frog from the marshes, rivers, and forests started during the early 1970s. The frogs were taken down by a pathogenic fungus named – Batrachochuytrium dendrobatidis. The fungus, chytrid, slowly suffocates the frog and impairs the natural functioning of the frog’s skin. This fungus can kill an animal within a week of the infection and can wipe out the entire population.
Another casualty that occurred in the late 1980s was the death of the gastric-brooding frogs, Costa Rican golden toad. These toads were pregnant, and they were suddenly gone from entire Australia.
It is estimated that over 200 species of frogs were wiped out by the fungus, chytrid. However, some of them are still hanging after being decimated by the infection. The fungus has by far infected over 700 species of frogs worldwide.
The discovery
Berger co-discovered fungus as a part of her Ph.D. thesis and described the infection in her journal PNAD in the year 1998. It is believed that pregnancy tests were widely used in the 1950s and 60s released the fungus into the wild animals. However, the African native amphibians co-existed with the fungus; thus, they had some resistance to it. But by the year 1998, the spread of the fungus was in every continent but Antarctica.
The permeable skin of the amphibians makes them vulnerable to the external environmental factors such as fertilizers, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and UV radiation in the wastewater. However, they are prone to catch infection or virus that could take up the life of the amphibians.
The chytrid
The fungus, chytrid, is the most devastating disease ever that has infected the wildlife. It was not expected to go away anytime soon. Clulow discovered that the rise in the salinity of the water by 0.5 parts per trillion reduced the infection rate and increased the survival rate of the amphibians.
The salinity trick does not work for all the environments, but it nicely works for ponds or any other artificial habitats. It helps the biologist to protect the life of the frogs by causing negligible effects on the entire ecosystem.
Winding up
Another Clulow’s study reports that there is a way of successfully producing embryos and a sexually mature adult. It is produced from cryopreserved testicular tissue of a male eastern dwarf tree frog. Clulow says this concept of assisted reproductive technology uses it in the future to reduce the threat of the decline of the frogs.
