Seasonal Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Rainforest Frog (Litoria rheocola) Threatened by Disease.

ABSTRACT: One of the most devastating wildlife diseases ever recorded is chytridiomycosis, a recently emerged amphibian disease that is caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Understanding, predicting, and managing the impacts of chytridiomycosis on any amphibian species will require detailed information on its ecology and behavior because this pathogen is transmitted by contact with water or other individuals, and pathogen growth rates are thermally sensitive. The common mistfrog (Litoria rheocola) is an endangered tropical rainforest frog that has declined due to chytridiomycosis. We tracked L. rheocola during the winter (cool/dry) and summer (warm/wet) seasons at a low- and high-elevation site. We found that seasonal differences in environmental temperatures and frog behavio

SUBMITTER: Roznik EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4437910 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature