Yosemite toad killer may be hiding in their own homes
UCLA biologists have found the hiding place of a silent killer stalking threatened Yosemite toads: their own burrows. The Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) fungus decimating amphibian populations around the world has long been thought to live in and infect the toads through their skin when they are in the water.
A mysterious killer is hiding in Yosemite toads' burrows, according to scientists from UCLA. The Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) fungus, responsible for the decline of amphibian populations worldwide, has been found to proliferate in the Sierra winter, contrary to previous beliefs that the fungus primarily infects toads in water during breeding season.
The discovery has major implications for the reintroduction program at Yosemite, which aims to restore the threatened Yosemite toad population. The researchers found that the fungus spreads rapidly among metamorphs, juvenile toads, during winter hibernation, challenging the common understanding of the high-risk season for Bd infection.
The findings have led wildlife managers to adjust their reintroduction strategy, now focusing on releasing animals after a few years of growth, when they are at lower risk of overwinter Bd infection.
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