Danna is suspicious that the distribution of these diseases follows the migratory flyway of birds. There's no better way to go from one pond to the next in a few hours' time, and within a week's time, perhaps, to fly the entire distance. Or a net. Or a fisherman's boots. Or on salamanders that are used as fishing bait.
Human intervention is an obvious possibility.
The researchers agreed that a new kind of science, combining disciplines ranging from biology to climatology to infectious diseases, will be needed to address the worldwide decline in amphibian species. In addition, a lot more funding will be required. The U.S. needs to focus the integrated resources of many agencies in order to make a dent in the problem, he said. Progress is being made to combine the talents of different disciplines as well. Funded by the NSF's Integrated Research Challenges in Environmental Biology program, the project involves a team of 24 scientists from three continents, representing areas such as evolutionary ecology, immunology, virology and mycology.