“A deadly fungus that infects frogs, toads, salamanders and newts in California's High Sierra is a major cause of a population decline that is now hitting amphibians throughout the world, a team of San Francisco State University biologists has found.”

Read more here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/03/BACO1J90CP.DTL

To learn more about Professor Vance Vredenburg's work tracking the deadly chytrid fungus in the Sierra, as well as all over the world, listen to QUEST Radio’s story “Plight of the Yellow-Legged Frog”
http://www.kqed.org/quest/radio/plight-of-the-yellowlegged-frog

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/23/BAVP1GGICL.DTL#ixzz16Dd9Hihh

See the recent New York Times profile here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/science/05frog.html?_r=1&ref=science

"It may sound like something out of a Brothers Grimm fable, but the choice between frogs and fish is a very real dilemma facing rangers in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks."

Listen to the full story here:
http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R911160850/b

http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201002191630/d

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Long-range transport of insecticide residues linked to amphibian population declines

Lawrence, Kan. — Two pesticides used in highly populated agricultural areas of California appear to be killing frogs that live and breed in the Sierra Nevada, according to results from a study published in the August 2009 issue of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

The study examined how two insecticides—chlorpyrifos and endosulfan—used in the fertile Central Valley of California affect amphibians that breed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east. Toxicity was measured to larval Pacific treefrogs (Pseudacris regilla) and foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii), which are among the amphibians with declining populations that often live and breed in meadows surrounding the Sierra Nevada. Winds blow insecticide residues into the mountains, and they fall as rain or snow. In these regions, insecticides have longer half-lives because of cooler temperatures and can be spread by melting snow to areas where amphibians live and breed.

As outlined in the article, “Toxicity of Two Insecticides to California, USA, Anurans and Its Relevance to Declining Amphibian Populations” by Donald W. Sparling and Gary M. Fellers, the study used laboratory testing to examine how the insecticides affected the two frogs at environmentally realistic concentrations. During testing, tadpoles were observed at various stages of development to see how the insecticides affected their growth and health.

Endosulfan was more toxic than chlorpyrifos to both species, according to the research, and tadpoles of both species developed abnormalities when exposed to high endosulfan concentrations. Endosulfan also affected the growth and development rates in both species. The researchers say this affects the amphibians’ behavior and increases their vulnerability to predators and hydrological events such as floods and droughts.

The study also shows that chlorpyrifos and endosulfan are highly toxic to both amphibians, with the yellow-legged frogs more sensitive than the Pacific treefrogs to these insecticides.

“The difference in sensitivity is important, because P. regilla populations are still comparatively stable in California, even in montane areas, whereas R. boylii is one of the species that has declined in recent years,” according to Sparling and Fellers.

The yellow-legged frogs, which rely more on standing water during reproduction, have seen higher population declines compared with other species.

“Concentrations of insecticides in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California may have the ability to inflict serious damage on native amphibians,” Sparling and Fellers write. “The present study adds to the increasing evidence that pesticides are very harmful to amphibians living in areas that are miles from sources of pesticide application.”

To read the entire article, visit http://www.allenpress.com/pdf/ENTC_28.8_1696_1703.pdf

Recently published research from James Madison University, suggests a benign, fungus-fighting bacterium in frogs' skin can be used to fight the fungal infection. In the study, frogs bathed in a mixture containing the bacteria and then exposed to the fungus had a 100 percent survival rate. Now they just need to get it out there to the frogs in need.

For more information, see:
Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project: http://amphibianrescue.com

http://thebirdsandthepcbs.blogspot.com/2008/08/bad-news-to-start-work-week-dude-looks.html

Bacteria could stop frog killer

With amphibian populations collapsing all over the world, researchers are fighting to stop what some are calling the "6th wave of extinction."

One finding, presented at the American Society for Microbiology and reported by the BBC suggests that the chytrid fungus that has been devastating amphibian populations around the world may be treated using a fungus fighting bacteria. According to the article, "Scientists have found that certain types of bacteria which live naturally on amphibians produce chemicals that attack the disease-causing fungus."

To learn more about this, log onto:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7438205.stm