What Carey does know is that the chytrid fungus has menaced Colorado boreal toads since 1996. The chytrid fungus was previously known to affect plants and insects. Why it has turned lethal for amphibians remains a mystery. Biologists have concluded that the fungus now has an appetite for keratin. In tadpoles, keratin turns up only in mouth parts, but when infected tadpoles metamorphose into frogs, they sicken and die.
Theories differ as to exactly how the chytrid fungus kills frogs.
Some researchers suspect it secretes a toxin while others think it simply blocks the absorption of water. We know what it is, but we can't stop it. TOMS data provide long-term daily mapping of Earth's atmospheric ozone, aerosols, reflectivity, and ultraviolet radiation. Thinning ozone elevates the level of UV-B radiation and increases the risk of DNA damage in living organisms. Erythemal UV exposure measured in kilojules per square meter.