Global Amphibian Declines, Loss of Genetic Diversity and Fitness: A Review
Open Access
- 5 January 2010
- Vol. 2 (1), 47-71
- https://doi.org/10.3390/d2010047
Abstract
It is well established that a decrease in genetic variation can lead to reduced fitness and lack of adaptability to a changing environment. Amphibians are declining on a global scale, and we present a four-point argument as to why this taxonomic group seems especially prone to such genetic processes. We elaborate on the extent of recent fragmentation of amphibian gene pools and we propose the term dissociated populations to describe the residual population structure. To put their well-documented loss of genetic diversity into context, we provide an overview of 34 studies (covering 17 amphibian species) that address a link between genetic variation and >20 different fitness traits in amphibians. Although not all results are unequivocal, clear genetic-fitness-correlations (GFCs) are documented in the majority of the published investigations. In light of the threats faced by amphibians, it is of particular concern that the negative effects of various pollutants, pathogens and increased UV-B radiation are magnified in individuals with little genetic variability. Indeed, ongoing loss of genetic variation might be an important underlying factor in global amphibian declines.Keywords
This publication has 145 references indexed in Scilit:
- Pathogenesis of Chytridiomycosis, a Cause of Catastrophic Amphibian DeclinesScience, 2009
- Amphibian Declines Are Not Uniquely High amongst the Vertebrates: Trend Determination and the British PerspectiveDiversity, 2009
- Global Amphibian Extinction Risk Assessment for the Panzootic Chytrid FungusDiversity, 2009
- Rapid Global Expansion of the Fungal Disease Chytridiomycosis into Declining and Healthy Amphibian PopulationsPLoS Pathogens, 2009
- Are we in the midst of the sixth mass extinction? A view from the world of amphibiansProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2008
- Amphibian malformations and inbreedingBiology Letters, 2008
- Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warmingNature, 2006
- High dispersal in a frog species suggests that it is vulnerable to habitat fragmentationBiology Letters, 2005
- Consequences of changing biodiversityNature, 2000
- Pattern of nucleotide substitution at major histocompatibility complex class I loci reveals overdominant selectionNature, 1988