Young Yosemite toads contract deadly fungal infection while overwintering underground

Young Yosemite toads emerge from their first winter underground infected with a deadly chytrid fungus, according to reports by Science News and Nacionale News. The pathogen, known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or Bd, causes a lethal fungal infection in the amphibians. [1][2]

Researchers reported the findings on September 23 in the journal Functional Ecology, Science News reported. Although the chytrid fungus is typically waterborne and spreads through aquatic environments, the surveys conducted in meadow habitats within Yosemite National Park indicate that the water-loving pathogen flourishes while the young toads shelter in burrows beneath the ground. [1]

The discovery shows that the amphibians face their highest vulnerability to developing the infection during this initial subterranean winter. The finding may assist conservationists in rethinking strategies to protect the threatened species, as the pathogen remains a persistent threat even after the toads leave their breeding ponds. [1]