We raised leopard frog tadpoles in situ throughout parts of the New York metro area where they appear to have vanished over the past several decades. We raised these tadpoles in mesh enclosures within several historically-occupied wetland systems and examined groups of individuals for diseases in order to investigate possible explanations into their widespread disappearance.
Results/Conclusions
Over the course of our work, we raised tadpoles at six discrete wetlands throughout the study region (Long Island, New York). We found evidence of three deadly frog diseases in our tadpoles including chytrid fungus (chytridiomycosis), ranavirus, and a recently documented Perkinsus-like organism. Not all diseases were found at all sites, but each site had tadpoles infected by at least one disease. Further, at sites where we conducted multiple rearing trials, outcomes were typically very similar each time.