A mass extinction event is a period in which a huge diversity of species die off within a relatively short time frame. In all of Earth’s 4.5 billion years, there have only been five such events, and we are right now in the middle of the sixth. The fifth mass extinction was caused by the asteroid that wiped out 76% of all species on Earth (including, famously, the dinosaurs), but now, 66 million years later, human activity is undoubtedly the cause. 

Amphibians are especially threatened— experts estimate that more than 40% of all amphibian species are at risk of extinction. A large part of this threat comes from a skin disease caused by the infectious chytrid fungus. While we can’t manage the spread of this disease in the wild, we can find ways to help frog populations survive future epidemics, and a team of scientists in Australia recently achieved this goal with an innovative solution. By simply giving the frogs access to artificial greenhouse sanctuaries, they took advantage of the fungus’ inability to tolerate warmer conditions. These greenhouses act as mini saunas for the frogs, allowing them to rid themselves of infection much faster than frogs that were kept at cooler, fungus-habitable temperatures. Frogs that could enter or exit the greenhouses at will, thus regulating their own temperatures, also showed lower levels of infection, and greater resistance against reinfection in the future. 

A major advantage of this intervention is that it is simple, quickly deployed, and beneficial for so many of the species affected by the chytrid fungus. Developing more widely-applicable green solutions like these could help us combat extinction on a larger scale before it’s too late. 

This research was led by Dr. Anthony W. Waddle, a Schmidt Science Fellow of Applied Biosciences at Macquarie University. 

Managing Correspondent: Maati McKinney

Press Article: Mini saunas save endangered frogs from fungal disease (Nature News & Views)

Original Journal Article: Hotspot shelters stimulate frog resistance to chytridiomycosis (Nature)

Image Credit: Pixabay/saguari