Rapid emergence of an amphibian pathogen coincided with historic amphibian declines in the Neotropics
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Aim: The emergence of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in South America has been attributed to multiple introductions and subsequent spread in a bidirectional latitudinal wave along the primary Andean cordilleras. This is supported for Ecuador by anecdotal evidence of declines in Bd-susceptible genera such as Telmatobius and Atelopus around the mid-1980s. We tested this hypothesis by combining published records of Bd with retrospective screenings of museum specimens (1950–2010) and surveys of contemporary populations to characterize the spatiotemporal and host-specific emergence of Bd in Ecuador.
Date Issued
2026-04-01
Date Acceptance
2026-03-11
Citation
Diversity and Distributions: A journal of biological invasions and biodiversity, 2026, 32 (4)
ISSN
1366-9516
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
Diversity and Distributions: A journal of biological invasions and biodiversity
Volume
32
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Diversity and Distributions published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
10.1111/ddi.70187
Subjects
chytridiomycosis
disease dynamics
emerging infectious disease
epizootic
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
70187
Date Publish Online
2026-04-08