African clawed frog –
reservoir or predator
of the fungal blight?
Amphibian populations worldwide are being devastated by a fungal infection (known as chytrid or Bd). As an invasive species and carrier of the fungal infection African clawed frogs are often blamed for the spread of chytrid and the current conservation crisis.
Research by Wilson et al (2018) suggests the story is more complicated than it at first seems though. Field studies in California suggest a 10% level of Bd infection in the frogs, with infected individuals having very low levels of infection. Additionally, larval clawed frogs appear to eat the Bd zoospores and may therefore actually be helping to reduce the negative impact and spread of the fungus. Unfortunately the study also suggests that the frog larvae also eat Daphnia, which are another predator of the Bd zoospores.
This latest research adds to growing evidence suggesting that African clawed frogs may not be as guilty as they seemed at first.
Original research: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191537
Interested in African clawed frogs? Check out these other Xenopus sciku: ‘Clawed frogs indicate‘, ‘Have frog, will travel‘, ‘Fungal culprit‘ and ‘Xenopus enrichment‘.