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Western palearctic salamander susceptibility to the skin disease caused by the amphibian chytrid fungusBatrachochytrium salamandrivorans(Bsal) was recognized in 2014, eliciting concerns for a potential novel wave of amphibian declines following theB. dendrobatidis(Bd) chytridiomycosis global pandemic. Although Bsal had not been detected in North America, initial experimental trials supported the heightened susceptibility of caudate amphibians to Bsal chytridiomycosis, recognizing the critical threat this pathogen poses to the North American salamander biodiversity hotspot. Here, we take stock of 10 years of research, collaboration, engagement, and outreach by the North American Bsal Task Force. We summarize main knowledge and conservation actions to both forestall and respond to Bsal invasion into North America. We address the questions: what have we learned; what are current challenges; and are we ready for a more effective reaction to Bsal’s eventual detection? We expect that the many contributions to preemptive planning accrued over the past decade will pay dividends in amphibian conservation effectiveness and can inform future responses to other novel wildlife diseases and extreme threats. 

Emerging infectious diseases have been especially devastating to amphibians, the most endangered class of vertebrates. For amphibians, the greatest disease threat is chytridiomycosis, caused by one of two chytridiomycete fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ( Bsal ). Research over the last two decades has shown that susceptibility to this disease varies greatly with respect to a suite of host and pathogen factors such as phylogeny, geography (including abiotic factors), host community composition, and historical exposure to pathogens; yet, despite a growing body of research, a comprehensive understanding of global chytridiomycosis incidence remains elusive. In a large collaborative effort, Bd -Maps was launched in 2007 to increase multidisciplinary investigations and understanding using compiled global Bd occurrence data ( Bsal was not discovered until 2013). As its database functions aged and became unsustainable, we sought to address critical needs utilizing new technologies to meet the challenges of aggregating data to facilitate research on both Bd and Bsal . Here, we introduce an advanced central online repository to archive, aggregate, and share Bd and Bsal data collected from around the world. The Amphibian Disease Portal ( https://amphibiandisease.org ) addresses several critical community needs while also helping to build basic biological knowledge of chytridiomycosis. This portal could be useful for other amphibian diseases and could also be replicated for uses with other wildlife diseases. We show how the Amphibian Disease Portal provides: (1) a new repository for the legacy Bd- Maps data; (2) a repository for sample-level data to archive datasets and host published data with permanent DOIs; (3) a flexible framework to adapt to advances in field, laboratory, and informatics technologies; and (4) a global aggregation of Bd and Bsal infection data to enable and accelerate research and conservation. The new framework for this project is built using biodiversity informatics best practices and metadata standards to ensure scientific reproducibility and linkages across other biological and biodiversity repositories. 

Ranaviruses are emerging pathogens of poikilothermic vertebrates. In 2015 the Global Ranavirus Reporting System (GRRS) was established as a centralized, open access, online database for reports of the presence (and absence) of ranavirus around the globe. The GRRS has multiple data layers (e.g., location, date, host(s) species, and methods of detection) of use to those studying the epidemiology, ecology, and evolution of this group of viruses. Here we summarize the temporal, spatial, diagnostic, and host-taxonomic patterns of ranavirus reports in the GRRS. The number, distribution, and host diversity of ranavirus reports have increased dramatically since the mid 1990s, presumably in response to increased interest in ranaviruses and the conservation of their hosts, and also the availability of molecular diagnostics. Yet there are clear geographic and taxonomic biases among the reports. We encourage ranavirus researchers to add their studies to the portal because such collation can provide collaborative opportunities and unique insights to our developing knowledge of this pathogen and the emerging infectious disease that it causes. 

Abstract Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action^1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment^3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. We find that amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class (40.7% of species are globally threatened). The updated Red List Index shows that the status of amphibians is deteriorating globally, particularly for salamanders and in the Neotropics. Disease and habitat loss drove 91% of status deteriorations between 1980 and 2004. Ongoing and projected climate change effects are now of increasing concern, driving 39% of status deteriorations since 2004, followed by habitat loss (37%). Although signs of species recoveries incentivize immediate conservation action, scaled-up investment is urgently needed to reverse the current trends.