Amphibian-killing fungus: is one gene family responsible for the downfall of frogs?

Recent headlines highlight the alarming rate at which species are being forced into extinction, and amphibians are particularly vulnerable. Up to 41% of frog, toad, newt, salamander, caecilian, and other amphibian species are listed as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered, and although habitat loss and other factors play a role in these extinctions and near-extinctions, it is now clear that a pathogenic fungus is responsible for the threatened state of many amphibian species. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, often called chytrid fungus or Bd, causes chytridiomycosis, a disease that strikes entire populations, causing widespread declines that can eventually lead to extinction. Leer más.