2010
Threat abatement project
Final report to Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts on work completed for RFT 43/2004
Dr. Ross A. Alford, Professor (Personal chair) of Tropical Ecology, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville
May 2010
About this report
This is the final report for the project Experimental research to obtain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of chytridiomycosis, and the susceptibility and resistance of key amphibian species to chytridiomycosis in Australia. The researchers found that frog social behaviour, use of microenvironments and aspects of their innate immune system have strong effects on the probability of infection with this serious amphibian pathogen. The rediscovery of the armoured mist frog (Litoria lorica) is examined in relation to these factors. This species had previously been thought to be extinct.
Related research
This research was undertaken by the Amphibian Disease Ecology Group at James Cook University. The same group undertook the linked project Experimental research to obtain a better understanding of the epidemiology, transmission and dispersal of amphibian chytrid fungus in Australian ecosystems.