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Complex causes of amphibian population declines - Nature

  • ️Belden, Lisa K.
  • ️Thu Apr 05 2001
  • Letter
  • Published: 05 April 2001

Nature volume 410, pages 681–684 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Amphibian populations have suffered widespread declines and extinctions in recent decades. Although climatic changes, increased exposure to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation and increased prevalence of disease have all been implicated at particular localities1,2,3,4,5,6, the importance of global environmental change remains unclear. Here we report that pathogen outbreaks in amphibian populations in the western USA are linked to climate-induced changes in UV-B exposure. Using long-term observational data and a field experiment, we examine patterns among interannual variability in precipitation, UV-B exposure and infection by a pathogenic oomycete, Saprolegnia ferax. Our findings indicate that climate-induced reductions in water depth at oviposition sites have caused high mortality of embryos by increasing their exposure to UV-B radiation and, consequently, their vulnerability to infection1. Precipitation, and thus water depth/UV-B exposure, is strongly linked to El Niño/Southern Oscillation cycles, underscoring the role of large-scale climatic patterns involving the tropical Pacific7. Elevated sea-surface temperatures in this region since the mid-1970s, which have affected the climate over much of the world8, could be the precursor for pathogen-mediated amphibian declines in many regions1,3,4,9.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station and D. H. Olson for the use of vehicles and temperature data loggers, and D. G. Hokit and S. Walls for discussions regarding experimental design. We also thank G. Taylor from the Oregon State Climate Center for help with obtaining the climate data. J. A. Pounds, E. Post, M. Vronsky and N. Chevoteravich provided helpful suggestions on this manuscript. Funding was provided by the Declining Amphibian Population Task Force Seed Grant (to J.M.K.); NIH/NSF Ecology of Infectious Diseases grant (to J.M.K.); and the Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, 208 Mueller Laboratory, University Park, 16802-5301, Pennsylvania, USA

    Joseph M. Kiesecker

  2. Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331, Oregon, USA

    Andrew R. Blaustein & Lisa K. Belden

Authors

  1. Joseph M. Kiesecker

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  2. Andrew R. Blaustein

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  3. Lisa K. Belden

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Correspondence to Joseph M. Kiesecker.

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Kiesecker, J., Blaustein, A. & Belden, L. Complex causes of amphibian population declines. Nature 410, 681–684 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35070552

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  • Received: 22 September 2000

  • Accepted: 22 January 2001

  • Issue Date: 05 April 2001

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35070552

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