Mark Mitchell, LSU SVM
Helen Rhim
Ashleigh Godke, Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine
John Tuminello
Ariana Tashakkori
Kimberly Boykin
Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class, with 41% of its species in danger of extinction. Among the major threats, climate change effects have impacted 29% of amphibian species. Current trends in temperature shifts and the interactions with other variables strongly correlate climate change with amphibian extinctions. The most vulnerable species of this taxa live in restricted geographic areas, such as Mesoamerica. From the genus Agalychnis, the red-eye tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) and the lemur tree frog (Agalychnis lemur) are excellent examples and models to study amphibian conservation. Both species have been impacted differently by existing worldwide threats; the red-eye tree is a species of least concern while the lemur frog is a critically endangered species. Ex-situ colonies were recognized as an essential part of the amphibian conservation action plan; however, husbandry requirements for these two species can vary and be detrimental if inappropriate. Captive research colonies for these two species held under the same controlled environment conditions that suffered unfortunate environmental events where temperature and humidity shifted from their normal range, resulted in variable morbidity and mortality. After supportive therapy, both populations had dissimilar outcomes. In the present retrospective analysis, we compiled clinical and pathological data to show that the shifts in temperature and humidity parameters were positively correlated with the presence of one or more clinical signs in the frogs, and how they developed in both populations. This study is an example of how even ex situ populations of frogs can be impacted by changes to their environment.
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