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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Species-Level Correlates Of Susceptibility To The Pathogenic Amphibian Fungus Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In The United States, Betsy Bancroft, Barbara Han, Catherine Searle, Lindsay Biga, Deanna Olson, Lee Kats, Joshua Lawler, Andrew Blaustein
Species-Level Correlates Of Susceptibility To The Pathogenic Amphibian Fungus Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In The United States, Betsy Bancroft, Barbara Han, Catherine Searle, Lindsay Biga, Deanna Olson, Lee Kats, Joshua Lawler, Andrew Blaustein
Lee Kats
Disease is often implicated as a factor in population declines of wildlife and plants. Understanding the characteristics that may predispose a species to infection by a particular pathogen can help direct conservation efforts. Recent declines in amphibian populations world-wide are a major conservation issue and may be caused in part by a fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). We used Random Forest, a machine learning approach, to identify species-level characteristics that may be related to susceptibility to Bd. Our results suggest that body size at maturity, aspects of egg laying behavior, taxonomic order and family, and reliance on water are good …
The Complexity Of Amphibian Population Declines: Understanding The Role Of Cofactors In Driving Amphibian Losses, Andrew Blaustein, Barbara Han, Rick Relyea, Pieter Johnson, Julia Buck, Stephanie Gervasi, Lee Kats
The Complexity Of Amphibian Population Declines: Understanding The Role Of Cofactors In Driving Amphibian Losses, Andrew Blaustein, Barbara Han, Rick Relyea, Pieter Johnson, Julia Buck, Stephanie Gervasi, Lee Kats
Lee Kats
Population losses and extinctions of species are occurring at unprecedented rates, as exemplified by declines and extinctions of amphibians worldwide. However, studies of amphibian population declines generally do not address the complexity of the phenomenon or its implications for ecological communities, focusing instead on single factors affecting particular amphibian species. We argue that the causes for amphibian population declines are complex; may differ among species, populations, and life stages within a population; and are context dependent with multiple stressors interacting to drive declines. Because amphibians are key components of communities, we emphasize the importance of investigating amphibian declines at the …