<
https://theconversation.com/a-deadly-disease-has-driven-7-australian-frogs-to-extinction-but-this-endangered-frog-is-fighting-back-189491>
"Frogs are among the world’s most imperilled animals, and much of the blame
lies with a deadly frog disease called the amphibian chytrid fungus. The
chytrid fungus has caused populations of over 500 frog species worldwide to
plummet, and rendered seven Australian frogs extinct.
Our new research, however, has identified an endangered frog species that seems
to have developed a natural resistance to the disease, after having previously
succumbed to it in prior decades: Fleay’s barred frog (
Mixophyes fleayi).
Fleay’s barred frog grows up to 9 centimetres long, and lives near gravelly
streams in the rainforests of northern New South Wales and southeast
Queensland. It is not the only frog species largely resistant to the disease,
with a precious few others also known to survive it, such as common mistfrogs
and cascade treefrogs.
We speculate that other frog species worldwide may be on a similar trajectory.
There is currently no cure for the chytrid fungus, but understanding how
Fleay’s barred frog and others are fighting back may prove instrumental in
helping us bring more species back from the brink."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
