Amphibians are known to play an important role in freshwater ecosystems. These organisms function as both predators and prey for other organisms and play a role in the transport of nutrients between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems due to their unique biphasic life cycles. However, these important roles have been threatened by a pandemic of amphibian chytrid pathogens that are affecting amphibian populations worldwide. In some cases, infection has lead to local disappearance of species and even their extinction. In this presentation, I will share the findings of my research, in which I compiled a vast database of infection records. I tracked records of infection by the chytrid pathogens <em>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</em> and <em>Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans</em> to understand which species have been affected and where. This allows for a comprehensive overview of the global situation of amphibians and helps identify spatial and temporal patterns. I will discuss cases where infection has affected freshwater ecosystems and present preliminary results on an ongoing effort to compile data about the different explanations given regarding the susceptibility or resilience of different amphibian communities.

Primary Presenter: Federico Castro Monzón, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (fcastro.biol@gmail.com)

Authors:

Gabriela Parra Olea, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México  (gparra@ib.unam.mx)