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Chytridiomycosis and Amphibian Population Declines Continue to Spread Eastward in Panama

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Abstract

Chytridiomycosis is a globally emerging disease of amphibians and the leading cause of population declines and extirpations at species-diverse montane sites in Central America. We continued long-term monitoring efforts for the presence of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and for amphibian populations at two sites in western Panama, and we began monitoring at three new sites to the east. Population declines associated with chytridiomycosis emergence were detected at Altos de Campana National Park. We also detected Bd in three species east of the Panama Canal at Soberanía National Park, and prevalence data suggests that Bd may be enzootic in the lowlands of the park. However, no infected frogs were found further east at Tortí (prevalence <7.5% with 95% confidence). Our results suggest that Panama’s diverse and not fully described amphibian communities east of the canal are at risk. Precise predictions of future disease emergence events are not possible until factors underlying disease emergence, such as dispersal, are understood. However, if the fungal pathogen spreads in a pattern consistent with previous disease events in Panama, then detection of Bd at Tortí and other areas east of the Panama Canal is imminent. Therefore, development of new management strategies and increased precautions for tourism, recreation, and biology are urgently needed.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Santana Arcia, Arquímides Batista, Forrest Brem, Roberto Brenes, James Coronado, Iván Domínguez, Aurelio González, César Jaramillo, Fr. Wally Kasuboski, Karen Lips, Julie Ray, Corrine Richards, and Manuel Rivera. This research was supported by NSF IRCEB grant DEB-0213851 (James P. Collins, P.I.; subcontracts to L.A. Rollins-Smith and A.D. Hyatt) and grants IOB-0520847 and IOB-0619536 to L.A. Rollins-Smith and a NSERC Canada Discovery Grant to D.M. Green. Scientific collecting permits from the government of Panama (Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente) were arranged with the assistance of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of STRI for logistical support for the all of the studies in Panama.

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Correspondence to Douglas C. Woodhams.

Appendix

Appendix

Amphibian Species Encountered at Campana before (Six Surveys) and after the Chytridiomycosis Epizootica

Species

Present before epizootic

Present January 2006

Present August 2007

Anotheca spinosa

x

x

x

Bufo (Rhinella) marinus

x

x

 

Smilisca sila

x

x

 

Centrolene ilex

x

  

Colostethus (Silverstoneia) flotator

x

x

x

Colostethus (Silverstoneia) nubicola

x

x

 

Colostethus panamensis

x

x

 

Colostethus pratti

x

  

Colostethus (Allobates) talamancae

x

  

Cochranella euknemos

x

x

 

Cochranella albomaculata

x

x

 

Dendrobates (Ranitomeya) minutus

x

  

Phyllomedusa (Hylomantis) lemur

x

x

 

Eleutherodactylus (Limnophys) bufoniformis

x

  

Eleutherodactylus (Pristimantis) pardalis

x

x

 

Eleutherodactylus (Craugastor) gollmeri

x

x

x

Eleutherodactylus (Pristimantis) cruentus

x

x

 

Eleutherodactylus (Pristimantis) caryophyllaceus

x

x

 

Eleutherodactylus (Craugastor) crassidigitus

x

x

x

Eleutherodactylus (Pristimantis) taeniatus

x

x

 

Eleutherodactylus (Pristimantis) diastema

x

x

x

Eleutherodactylus (Pristimantis) gaigeae

x

  

Eleutherodactylus (Craugastor) megacephalus

x

  

Eleutherodactylus (Craugastor) punctariolus

x

  

Eleutherodactylus (Pristimantis) ridens

x

  

Oedipina sp.

x

 

 

  1. aMore in depth post-epizootic amphibian surveys are needed to fully assess the loss of species richness at this site; columns do not represent equal sampling effort. Scientific names preserve name recognition according to Smith and Chiszar (2006) and include taxonomically reorganized subgenus in parentheses (Frost et al., 2006).

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Woodhams, D.C., Kilburn, V.L., Reinert, L.K. et al. Chytridiomycosis and Amphibian Population Declines Continue to Spread Eastward in Panama. EcoHealth 5, 268–274 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-008-0190-0

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