Amphibian survival compromised by long-term effects of chytrid fungus

AbstractChytridiomycosis, the disease caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been unambiguously implicated in the decline of amphibian populations worldwide. However, the impact of this devastating infectious disease can be difficult to gauge without empirical data on the population-level effects of Bd. Often, assessments of the amphibian chytridiomycosis panzootic are based primarily on expert opinions; as a result, declines in tropical areas are promptly attributed to Bd while its impact on temperate species not suffering from adult mass mortalities is frequently overlooked. Here, we investigated the survival probability in an amphibian species from a tempe…