Mapping the global emergence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the amphibian chytrid fungus.

ABSTRACT: The rapid worldwide emergence of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is having a profound negative impact on biodiversity. However, global research efforts are fragmented and an overarching synthesis of global infection data is lacking. Here, we provide results from a community tool for the compilation of worldwide Bd presence and report on the analyses of data collated over a four-year period. Using this online database, we analysed: 1) spatial and taxonomic patterns of infection, including amphibian families that appear over- and under-infected; 2) relationships between Bd occurrence and declining amphibian species, including associations among Bd occurrence, species richness, and enigmatic population declines; and 3) patterns of environmental correlates with Bd, i

SUBMITTER: Olson DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3584086 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature