The fungal pathogen thrives in cooler tropical temperatures and becomes unviable above 84°F (29°C). The ‘frog saunas’, made up of unshaded black brick structures with narrow holes inside an artificial greenhouse habitat with water and plants, provided the necessary warmth for the frogs to combat the disease.
A group of eight frogs were studied, with half infected by chytrid. Some habitats were shaded while others were left uncovered to test different temperature ranges. It was observed that infected frogs who frequented the unshaded structure, where temperatures could reach as high as 97 to 100°F, had milder infections. However, access to any sauna helped the frogs fight off the disease.
After recovering through the use of saunas, the bell frogs were found to be 23 times less likely to die if re-infected with chytrid. Waddle told Science News, “Setting up these habitats where they still persist might give them enough of a boost that you could see a population increase.”
Building these simple structures in a garden could help frogs not only survive chytrid outbreaks but also help the local population to develop resistance. However, the saunas are limited in their scope to warm-weather species. For those who enjoy cooler temps, another solution needs to be found.
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Source: Good News Network
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