Research Overview

My Honours research focused on the thermal tolerance of the Australian great barred frog (Mixophyes fasciolatus), and implications for susceptibility to chytridiomycosis, both now and into the future, in Springbrook National Park, QLD, Australia. 

The geographic distribution of ectotherms such as amphibian species is in part determined by their thermal tolerance. I investigated the critical minimum and maximum temperatures (CTmin and CTmax) for wild adult M. fasciolatus (the range within which physiological function is possible), and also swabbed individual frogs from the population to determine the infection prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the fungus responsible for the skin disease chytridiomycosis. Although my sampling was conducted over the autumn season (when infections are likely to occur in this region), I unexpectedly found very low infection prevalence.

I also extrapolated the thermal tolerance ranges of both the fungus and frog species into future climate scenarios (based on predicted bioclimatic values for the year 2050) and determined that changes in the average temperatures of the coldest and warmest quarters are unlikely to be sufficient to endanger M. fasciolatus, but that neither would the changes greatly affect Bd growth and reproduction. Further research may help to elucidate the apparent low infection prevalence of chytridiomycosis in the M. fasciolatus population, despite a distribution in an appropriate thermal range for the growth of the fungus. 

Research Keywords

Thermal physiology, conservation biology, Australian Great Barred Frog, Mixophyes fasciolatus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, chytridiomycosis, temperature, amphibians

Research Areas 

Ecology, conservation biology, amphibians, physiology, disease ecology