The role of monitoring and research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in framing our understanding of the response of amphibians to disease

Abstract/Summary

Pathogens such as ranaviruses and the novel amphibian chytrid fungus (Bd) are threats to amphibian biodiversity worldwide, including in landscapes that are protected from many anthropogenic stressors. We summarized data from studies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), one of the largest and most complete temperate-zone ecosystems on Earth, to assess the current state of knowledge about ranaviruses (2001–2020) and Bd (2000–2020) and provide insight into future threats and conservation strategies. Our comprehension of amphibian disease in the GYE is based on >20 years of monitoring, surveys, population studies, and opportunistic observations of mortality events. Diseases caused by these pathogens affect local species differently, depending on temperature, community structure, and location in the GYE. Bd has not been linked to die-offs but evidence for ongoing negative effects on survival contributes to foundational data on the effects of this pathogen in North America. There is less information on how ranaviruses affect amphibian vital rates, partly because ranaviruses are more difficult to study than Bd, but local mortality events attributed to, or consistent with, disease from ranaviruses are widespread in the GYE. The significance of disease in the long-term persistence of amphibians in the GYE is linked to anticipated changes in climate, especially drought. Other stressors, such as expected increases in visitor use and its associated impacts, are likely to exacerbate the effects of disease. Long-term information from this large, intact landscape helps to frame our understanding of the response of amphibians to disease and provides data that can contribute to management decisions, mitigation strategies, and forecasting efforts.

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