ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Frogs are a crucial part of the world’s ecosystem and are considered an indicator species since their sensitivity to environmental changes and pollution can serve as early warning signs of ecosystem disruption.
An understudied, deadly disease affecting frogs is more widespread in Central Florida than previously thought and may become more of a problem in other parts of the U.S. due to climate change, according to a new University of Central Florida study show.
The disease, Perkinsea, is part of a unique group of organisms known as protists that don’t fit easily into the categories of plant, animal or fungi. When Perkinsea spores enter a frog, they find their way to the liver and other organs and eat the tissue from the inside out, leading to death.
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The findings, recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, showed that Perkinsea infected a third of the frogs sampled, and its presence was associated with the cooler, wetter conditions typical of a Florida winter.
“We have this pathogen that we basically know nothing about, and this is the first real stab at trying to understand where it’s showing up and why,” says Matthew Atkinson, the study’s lead author. “And we can’t do anything to protect a species unless we know what’s actually happening in the first place. So that’s been a big focus with us.”
Florida gopher frogs, which live in gopher tortoise burrows, had the highest disease prevalence and intensity, which the researchers say is concerning as the threatened species is declining in most of its range.
As northern regions become warmer from climate change, more areas could experience conditions favorable to Perkinsea infections in frogs, researchers said.
This new research could help confirmation efforts in the future said study senior author, Anna Savage.
“While this is only a starting point for managing and protecting species, it tells us where and when to focus, so that in the future we could do things like avoid releasing head-started frogs of threatened and managed species into the wild at times of year when they are more likely to suffer from disease,” Savage said. “Gopher frogs are the most threatened and most susceptible species we know of to date, so those are the species that could benefit the most.”
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For the study, the researchers sampled more than 1200 frogs from 20 wetland locations across the Central Florida peninsula from August 2017-19. A number of other data points were collected during sampling, including average pH, number of frog species, average temperature and precipitation.
“One thing that everyone can do is be careful not to spread animals and pathogens around,” Savage added. “If you like to boat, fish or hike, be aware that all of the major frog diseases can survive on your nets, shoes and boots for days, and you could be spreading spores from one location to the next if you don’t decontaminate your gear in between sites. All it takes is rinsing things in a weak solution of household bleach or leaving items out to dry in the sun for at least a few days before traveling somewhere new.”
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