Publications by authors named "Gerda Ludwig"
Article Synopsis
- Amphibians worldwide are threatened by diseases like chytridiomycosis, especially from the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), which causes the deadly 'salamander plague.'
- This study investigates whether Alpine salamanders (Salamandra atra and S. lanzai) are affected by Bsal, given that they are known to be highly susceptible to this pathogen.
- The analysis of over 1,100 salamanders in the Alps revealed no Bsal infections, indicating that the salamander plague has not yet reached this area, but suggests the need for proactive conservation measures to prevent future outbreaks.
Environmental conditions at the edge of a species' ecological optimum can exert great ecological or evolutionary pressure at local populations. For ectotherms like amphibians temperature is one of the most important abiotic factors of their environment as it influences directly their metabolism and sets limits to their distribution. Amphibians have evolved three ways to cope with sub-zero temperatures: freeze tolerance, freeze protection, freeze avoidance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF