Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming

J. Alan Pounds (), Martín R. Bustamante, Luis A. Coloma, Jamie A. Consuegra, Michael P. L. Fogden, Pru N. Foster, Enrique La Marca, Karen L. Masters, Andrés Merino-Viteri, Robert Puschendorf, Santiago R. Ron, G. Arturo Sánchez-Azofeifa, Christopher J. Still and Bruce E. Young
Additional contact information
J. Alan Pounds: Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve and Tropical Science Center
Martín R. Bustamante: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
Luis A. Coloma: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
Jamie A. Consuegra: Columbia University
Michael P. L. Fogden: Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve and Tropical Science Center
Pru N. Foster: University of Tokyo
Enrique La Marca: Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Ambientales, Universidad de Los Andes
Karen L. Masters: Council for International Educational Exchange
Andrés Merino-Viteri: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
Robert Puschendorf: Universidad de Costa Rica
Santiago R. Ron: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
G. Arturo Sánchez-Azofeifa: University of Alberta
Christopher J. Still: University of California at Santa Barbara
Bruce E. Young: NatureServe

Nature, 2006, vol. 439, issue 7073, 161-167

Abstract: Abstract As the Earth warms, many species are likely to disappear, often because of changing disease dynamics. Here we show that a recent mass extinction associated with pathogen outbreaks is tied to global warming. Seventeen years ago, in the mountains of Costa Rica, the Monteverde harlequin frog (Atelopus sp.) vanished along with the golden toad (Bufo periglenes). An estimated 67% of the 110 or so species of Atelopus, which are endemic to the American tropics, have met the same fate, and a pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) is implicated. Analysing the timing of losses in relation to changes in sea surface and air temperatures, we conclude with ‘very high confidence’ (> 99%, following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC) that large-scale warming is a key factor in the disappearances. We propose that temperatures at many highland localities are shifting towards the growth optimum of Batrachochytrium, thus encouraging outbreaks. With climate change promoting infectious disease and eroding biodiversity, the urgency of reducing greenhouse-gas concentrations is now undeniable.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature04246

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