Impacts of chytrid fungus and contaminants on amphibians of the Missouri river

摘要: Nearly one third of amphibian species are considered endangered and/or declining. Amphibian chytrid fungus (Bd, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) is found around the world causing the death and decline of populations in some of these regions. Amphibian populations are also being impacted by land use changes, with agricultural land severely modifying and removing native habitat. As amphibians depend on runoff water from these sites, they are susceptible to contamination. Very little research has examined the interaction of contaminants on disease susceptibility in amphibians. For this study, I performed a field study to examine the contamination and disease levels along the National Recreational Missouri River and laboratory experiments to examine the impacts of atrazine (an herbicide), triclosan (an antimicrobial), Bd, and cue from natural predators on larval anurans. I found Bd along the sampled section …