It’s not easy being green, as one of our greatest sages likes to point out. The latest example of this universal fact is the chytrid fungus, a harmful pest that likes to take up residence on the delicate skin of frogs around the world.
The fungus originated in Asia but has spread around the world in recent decades and is responsible for the continued decline of more than 500 amphibian species. At least 90 are now considered extinct due to chytrid.
But research recently published in the journal Nature, A group of researchers led by biologist Anthony Waddle has proposed a cheap, easy-to-implement countermeasure to the fungus. And if it’s not a solution, it’s at least a stopgap measure that could give our frog friends a webbed foothold in their ongoing battle against chytrid.
Saunas.
At least the amphibious equivalent. And the best part is, you can join in and make your own.
“Chytrid outbreaks are more common in the cold winter months – just like seasonal flu in humans,” Waddle noted in The Conversation. “We have found a way to combat these winter outbreaks using heat. Our purpose-built ‘frog saunas’ allow affected amphibians to warm up and bake off their infections. They are so simple that you can build a frog sauna using materials from the DIY store.”
Testing the theory
After noting that at least some frogs “select temperatures that reduce or eliminate chytrid infections, when given the chance,” Waddle and his colleagues wondered whether regular access to higher temperatures could help the amphibians survive the fungus.
To test the theory, the researchers conducted experiments on 66 chytrid-infected green and gold bell frogs. One group of frogs had access to different temperatures and could choose the environment they liked most. The scientists also gave a second group a fixed, warm temperature and a control group a lower temperature.
The results were promising. The infections of the first group cleared nicely, those of the second group cleared slowly, and those of the control group remained infected.
Even better, the “heat-hardened” frogs were “22 times more likely to survive the second infection than the 23 frogs that were heat-treated but not previously infected. So frogs that are cured with heat acquire resistance to future infections,” Waddle reported.
In the wild
Finally, Waddle and his team tried to replicate the lab successes in a controlled outdoor environment with 239 frogs. The team built frog saunas in an outdoor enclosure using a selection of widely available, inexpensive materials: a greenhouse with overhanging roofs, ten-hole bricks, black paint and cable ties.
The area consisted of sunny and shady areas, with and without saunas. The team then let the frogs, half of which were infected with the fungus, hop around as they pleased.
The result? A big success.
“Frogs flocked to the sunny saunas, warming up their tiny bodies and quickly fighting off the infection,” the scientists reported. “Think of frog saunas as little factories that produce healthy, chytrid-resistant frogs.”
The team is already placing frog saunas in the wild in the habitat of green and gold bell frogs. And if you live in an area with both frogs and the chytrid fungus, they encourage you to do the same. Click here to find out how.
“We believe they are best suited to supporting populations of Australian green and golden bell frogs, but they may also be useful for other species,” Waddle concluded.
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