Episode 194. The Genesis of Chytrid and the Path to Resistance -with Roland Knapp

This week I am joined by Roland Knapp. Roland has studied Mountain yellow legged frogs in the Sierra Nevada for three decades. During the earliest days of his research, he witnessed the first massive amphibian die-offs in the US as a result of a new and lethal pathogen. That pathogen would come to be known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or Bd for short. Moving forward, Roland's subsequent work over the next few decades would ultimately lead to a reintroduction plan for the species, -a plan made possible by the discovery of Bd resistant frogs!  In this episode, we discuss the full story arc of Bd -from it's mysterious beginning, the severe devastation it has caused, and how the tide is turning in favor of a few frog species with some help from both nature and humans!This episode is sponsored by Gray Ghost Creationshttps://www.etsy.com/shop/GrayGhostCreationsExo Terra is our sponsor this week. For all your amphibian needs visit: Exo-terra.com or visit your local dealer and follow @exoterrausa on social media. To Support the Podcast, for merch, and vivarium discounts please visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCastTo Learn more about Dr. Knapp's work please visit:https://mountainlakesresearch.com/https://snarl.nrs.ucsb.edu/dr-roland-knapp/https://europepmc.org/article/ppr/ppr665389