Emerging infectious disease and the loss of biodiversity in a Neotropical amphibian community
- Karen R. Lips*,†,
- Forrest Brem*,
- Roberto Brenes*,
- John D. Reeve*,
- Ross A. Alford‡,
- Jamie Voyles§,
- Cynthia Carey§,
- Lauren Livo§,
- Allan P. Pessier¶, and
- James P. Collins∥
- *Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6501;
- ‡School of Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811,Australia;
- §Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0354;
- ¶Division of Pathology, Conservation and Research for Endangered Species, Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, CA 92112-0551; and
- ∥School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
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Edited by David B. Wake, University of California, Berkeley, CA, and approved December 26, 2005 (received for review August 9, 2005)
Abstract
Pathogens rarely cause extinctions of host species, and there are few examples of a pathogen changing species richness and diversity of an ecological community by causing local extinctions across a wide range of species. We report the link between the rapid appearance of a pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in an amphibian community at El Copé, Panama, and subsequent mass mortality and loss of amphibian biodiversity across eight families of frogs and salamanders. We describe an outbreak of chytridiomycosis in Panama and argue that this infectious disease has played an important role in amphibian population declines. The high virulence and large number of potential hosts of this emerging infectious disease threaten global amphibian diversity.
Footnotes
- †To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: klips{at}zoology.siu.edu
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Author contributions: K.R.L., R.A.A., J.V., C.C., and J.P.C. designed research; K.R.L., F.B., R.B., J.V., C.C., A.P.P., and L.L. performed research; K.R.L., F.B., J.D.R., R.A.A., and J.P.C. analyzed data; and K.R.L., J.D.R., R.A.A., C.C., A.P.P., and J.P.C. wrote the paper.
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Conflict of interest statement: No conflicts declared.
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This paper was submitted directly (Track II) to the PNAS office.
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See Commentary on page 3011.
- © 2006 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA
