Amphibian and Reptile Biology

Amphibians are disappearing faster than almost any other vertebrate group, driven by a convergence of threats that includes the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, accelerating climate change, and the fragmentation of wetland and forest habitats. Chytridiomycosis alone, caused by the pathogen *Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis*, has been linked to the collapse or extinction of hundreds of species across multiple continents, making it one of the most devastating wildlife disease events ever recorded. Researchers are working to understand how these stressors interact — for instance, whether warmer or more variable temperatures amplify or suppress pathogen virulence — and how evolutionary history, reconstructed through phylogenetic analysis, shapes which lineages are most vulnerable. A central open question is whether surviving populations can adapt quickly enough to persist, and what targeted conservation strategies might slow losses before entire branches of amphibian diversity are permanently erased.

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Keywords

Amphibian DeclinesChytridiomycosisClimate ChangeBiodiversity LossPathogen ImpactHabitat Fragmentation