whatever can die is beautiful

Why can some toads survive a deadly fungus?

The mystery of why some populations of amphibians recover following outbreaks of a deadly fungus has been solved in a new study led by ZSL, UCL and Imperial College London.

The chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a major cause of devastating declines in frogs and toads around the world - from tiny Darwin's frogs to giant mountain chicken frogs. Mass deaths occur often after amphibians transition out of the tadpole or larval stage and acquire the hard skin the fungus lives off. The new study, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, looked at common midwife toads living around four lakes in the Pyrenees in France and Spain whose populations had been ravaged by the fungus. Around one lake, the toads were dying in large numbers and nearly extinct, but around the other three lakes the populations had recovered, with Bd still present but causing fewer deaths. The team looked at antimicrobial chemicals called peptides that the toads secreted from their skin – a key part of their immune defence. They found that that these immune defences were much more likely to mature earlier, at the tadpole stage, among groups of toads that had recovered from Bd outbreaks, who were therefore better protected as they entered adulthood. Lead author Dr Phillip Jervis, of our Institute of Zoology, UCL Chemistry and Imperial College London, said: “Our study shows species that have declined heavily from this disease can still recover. They have the tools to fight off infection – it just depends on timing. The disease kills toads and frogs as they turn from tadpoles to adults. Getting mature immunity at the tadpole stage helps these toads survive and the population to continue..."

Endangered Toad Spotted For First Time in Restored Texas Habitat

Conservation efforts are helping rebuild wild populations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently shared the sighting of a male Houston toad on a restored private property in Bastrop County, calling it a "big win" for the endangered species. The property was one of three sites where USFWS biologists released 170,000 Houston toad eggs in April as part of a larger effort to reintroduce 3 million eggs and restore wild populations across Central Texas. The Houston toad was among the first amphibians protected under the Endangered Species Act when it was listed in 1970. Once found across parts of Southeast Texas, the small brown amphibian disappeared from Harris County by 1975 as rapid development destroyed and fragmented its habitat...

Read more: https://www.chron.com/wildlife/article/houston-toad-comeback-22346468.php

What to do if you find a baby bunny.

They Noticed - Neve