Brent Knoblauch and Marty Larsen, Dixie State University
Life Sciences
Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) is one of the major hypothesized theories behind global amphibian decline. Canyon Tree frogs (Hyla arenicolor) found in Zion National Park have been found to contain infected individuals, however population sizes have grown despite infection with the usually deadly fungus. The present study sought to demonstrate a correlation between skin temperatures and fungal proliferation, and investigated what enabled Hyla arenicolor to survive and reproduce with chytrid present. Ten frogs were sampled with sterile swabs from each of seven different study areas found in Zion National Park. Along with each swab a temperature was taken via infrared thermometer and recorded. DNA was also extracted from the swabs, and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis- specific primers were used in a touchdown PCR protocol to determine infection rates. Swabs from specimens with higher temperatures were expected to display lower instances of infection. This would establish for the first time a clear demonstration that high skin temperatures were destroying the fungus in infected individuals in the wild.