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Abstract
Over recent decades, amphibians have experienced population declines, extirpations and species-level extinctions at an alarming rate. Numerous potential etiologies for amphibian declines have been postulated including climate and habitat degradation. Other potential anthropogenic causes including overexploitation and the frequent introductions of invasive predatory species have also been blamed for amphibian declines. Still other underlying factors may include infectious diseases caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, pathogenic viruses (Ranavirus), and other agents. It is nearly certain that more than one etiology is to blame for the majority of the global amphibian declines, and that these causal factors include some combination of climatological or physical habitat destabilization and infectious disease, most notably chytridiomycosis. Scientific research efforts are aimed at elucidating these etiologies on local, regional, and global scales that we might better understand and counteract the driving forces behind amphibian declines. Conservation efforts as outlined in the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan of 2005 are also being made to curtail losses and prevent further extinctions wherever possible.
| Publication type | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
| Title | Global amphibian declines: perspectives from the United States and beyond |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation |
| Publisher location | Landover, MD |
| Contributing office(s) | Leetown Science Center |
| Description | 7 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Book |
| Larger Work Subtype | Conference publication |
| Larger Work Title | Bridging America and Russia with shared perspectives on aquatic animal health: Proceedings of the Third Bilateral Conference between Russia and the United States, 12-20 July, 2009, held in Shepherdstown, West Virginia |
| First page | 329 |
| Last page | 335 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |