Which fungal disease has devastated amphibian populations globally?

The fungal disease that has devastated amphibian populations globally is chytridiomycosis. It is caused mainly by the chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans.

These fungi attack amphibians’ skin, an organ they rely on for water balance, breathing, and electrolyte regulation. Severe infections can disrupt those functions, trigger cardiac problems, and kill animals rapidly. Some outbreaks have caused mortality approaching 100 percent in affected populations.

Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic declines and extinctions across Central and South America, western North America, eastern Australia, parts of Africa, and Caribbean islands. The disease is believed to have spread widely through international movement of amphibians, including the wildlife trade.

It is often confused with white-nose syndrome, but that disease affects bats and is caused by a different fungus. Chytridiomycosis also does not affect every amphibian species equally: susceptibility varies with species, climate, habitat, and the particular fungal strain.