Biodiverisity helps protect amphibians from parasite that causes deformity

A University of Colorado study published today in the journal Nature tags biodiversity -- a large number of different species -- in pond environments as a major factor in protecting amphibians from the parasite Ribeiroia ondatrae. From Science News:

The richer the assortment of amphibian species living in a pond, the more protection that community of frogs, toads and salamanders has against a parasitic infection that can cause severe deformities, including the growth of extra legs, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder. The findings, published Feb. 14 in the journal Nature, support the idea that greater biodiversity in larger-scale ecosystems, such as forests or grasslands, may also provide greater protection against diseases, including those that attack humans. For example, a larger number of mammal species in an area may curb cases of Lyme disease, while a larger number of bird species may slow the spread of West Nile virus. "How biodiversity affects the risk of infectious diseases, including those of humans and wildlife, has become an increasingly important question," said Pieter Johnson, an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and lead author of the study. "But as it turns out, solidly testing these linkages with realistic experiments has proven very challenging in most systems."

Read the story here. The study can also be previewed on the Nature website. Photo: Freshwaters Illustrated; University of Colorado at Boulder