Widespread occurrence of bd in French Guiana, South America.

The amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a purported agent of decline and extinction of many amphibian populations worldwide. Its occurrence remains poorly documented in many tropical regions, including the Guiana Shield, despite the area's high amphibian diversity. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of Bd in French Guiana in order to (1) determine its geographical distribution, (2) test variation of Bd prevalence among species in French Guiana and compare it to earlier reported values in other South American anuran species (http://www.

Freezing before mating severely affects the fitness of a capital breeder.

Abstract While benefits that explain the success of early breeders in many species have been identified and measured, the costs associated with these strategies, such as those linked to adverse climatic conditions, have often been neglected. In this study, we investigate the influence of a short freezing event on reproductive output in the common toad Bufo bufo, an early-breeding anuran. We then (i) compared male mating behavior between previously frozen and control males and (ii) quantified gamete sensitiveness through egg fertilization success between frozen and control toads.