Chytrid fungus is responsible for a decimation of frogs and salamanders that has been going on for decades and is thought to have eradicated over 100 species.
The disease has been found all over the world, but no one has known where and when it first emerged.
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Now an international research team has traced the deadly fungus to East Asia and has concluded that the global trade in amphibians for exotic pet, medical and food purposes is behind its spread.
“Biologists have known since the 1990s that [chytrid fungus] was behind the decline of many amphibian species, but until now we haven’t been able to identify exactly where it came from,” said Dr Simon O’Hanlon, a researcher at Imperial College London and lead author of the study.
“In our paper, we solve this problem and show that the lineage which has caused such devastation can be traced back to East Asia.”
The chytrid fungus infects animals’ skin, affecting their ability to regulate water and electrolyte levels and ultimately leading to heart failure.
It can pass between individuals with ease, and some are more affected than others.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award
Show all 8
Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice award
1/8 Winner – Pikin and Appolinaire
Pikin, a lowland gorilla, had been captured and was going to be sold for bushmeat but was rescued by Ape Action Africa. Jo-Anne took this photograph as the gorilla was being moved from her former enclosure within a safe forest sanctuary in Cameroon to a new and larger one, along with a group of gorilla companions. She was first sedated, but during the transfer to the new enclosure she awoke. Luckily, she was not only very drowsy, but she was also in the arms of her caretaker, Appolinaire Ndohoudou, and so she remained calm for the duration of the bumpy drive
Jo-Anne McArthur
2/8 Finalist – Elegant Mother and Calf
Every year from July to late October southern humpback whales migrate north from their Antarctic feeding grounds to give birth in the warm sheltered waters off Tonga. Ray encountered this humpback mother and calf peacefully floating in the plankton-filled water around the island group of Vava’u, Tonga. After Ray gently approached them, the giants swam a bit closer to have a look at him. While they made this elegant turn, Ray took the shot. He later converted the image into black and white which he felt represented the simplicity of the scene
Ray Chin/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
3/8 Finalist – Warm Embrace
When polar bear mothers and cubs emerge from their dens in the early spring, the cubs stay close to their mothers for warmth and protection. Once the cubs are strong and confident enough, they make the trek to the sea ice with their mother so that she can resume hunting for seals. Debra waited six days near the den of this family, in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada, before they finally emerged. In the most challenging conditions she has ever faced, temperatures ranged from -35C to -55C with high winds, making it almost impossible to avoid frostbite and keep her camera gear functioning properly
Debra Garside/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
4/8 Finalist – Roller Rider
Lakshitha was on safari in MaasaiMara National Reserve, Kenya, when he spotted an unusual sight – a lilac-breasted roller riding a zebra. Normally they prefer to perch high up in the foliage, but his roller spent an hour or more riding around and enjoying the occasional insect meal. Lakshitha waited for the surrounding zebras to form the perfect background before taking this tight crop
Lakshitha Karunarathna/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
5/8 Finalist – Sloth Hanging Out
Luciano had to climb the cecropia tree, in the protected Atlantic rainforest of southern Bahia, Brazil, to take an eye-level shot of this three-toed sloth. Sloths like to feed on the leaves of these trees,and so they are often seen high up in the canopy.
Luciano Candisani/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
6/8 Shortlisted – Reach for the Sky
Steven was taking pictures of a small group of adult roseate spoonbills in a rookery in Tampa Bay, Florida, when he noticed a newcomer flying in from afar. With just enough time to back up a few steps, Steven photographed the bird landing exactly square to his camera with its wings in a stunning symmetrical U-shape
Steve Blandin/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
7/8 Shortlisted – Holding On
This close-up captures the touching moment an infant lays its small hand in the big hand of its mother. Jami took this photograph while she was in Borneo working on a story about the effects of palm-oil agriculture on orangutan habitat. Loss of primary rainforest is a serious threat to this already critically endangered species
Jami Tarris/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
8/8 Shortlisted – Blood Ivory
In a protected area of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, a ranger’s bloody hand rests on a heavily grained ivory tusk, also covered in the blood of an African elephant. The bull had to be destroyed due to a severe tusk infection that couldn’t be treated.The tusks were removed to a place of safekeeping, where they were carefully catalogued in accordance with legislation
Peter Chadwick/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
For their study, published in the journal Science, the researchers gathered samples of the fungi from all around the world and combined them with an existing database so they had a collection of more than 200 samples.
They examined the differences between the different fungal genomes, and identified four main lineages, three of which were found all over the world.
The fourth was only found on frogs native to Korea.
This finding suggested that rather than dating back thousands of years, as previous work had suggested, the disease expanded its range massively between 50 and 120 years ago, at the same time the international pet trade took off.
Nevertheless, the disease still poses a major threat, and the new study also uncovered additional strains of the fungus that have the potential to exacerbate the current global epidemic.
These results highlight the importance of tight global biosecurity measures, with team member Dr Lee Skerratt from James Cook University highlighting the strict rules and regulations found in Australia to prevent harm to the local animals and plants.
“We hope this news will push policy change in countries with less strict biosecurity measures,” he said.
Professor Matthew Fisher, from the School of Public Health at Imperial, said: “Our research not only points to East Asia as ground zero for this deadly fungal pathogen, but suggests we have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg of chytrid diversity in Asia.”
“Therefore, until the ongoing trade in infected amphibians is halted, we will continue to put our irreplaceable global amphibian biodiversity recklessly at risk.”