Dr Jarrod Sopniewski ‘Returning green and golden bell frogs to the ACT’

The chytrid fungus caused a decline in the population of green and golden bell frogs. Canberra researchers are testing a variety of interventions to control chytrid.

Abstract
Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate globally, with over 40% of known species at risk of extinction. A major reason for this has been the global spread of the amphibian pathogen chytrid fungus, which has caused declines in over 500 species globally, and the extinction of around 100. Some species, such as the green and golden bell frog, used to be among the most common, but have disappeared from large parts of their distributions over the last few decades as the fungus has spread. Chytrid can’t be eradicated, but research has suggested some means through which it may be mitigated. These include providing ‘frog saunas’, saline ‘plunge pools’, and ‘immunising’ frogs against disease. In a world-first experiment taking place here in Canberra, researchers are testing whether these interventions could help amphibians bounce back from disease by reintroducing green and golden bell frogs to the city, where they have been missing for over 40 years.

Biography
Jarrod is a conservation biologist currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Canberra. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Canberra and Australian National University before moving to Perth to complete his PhD at the University of Western Australia in 2024. His research has been focused around understanding why species are threatened at landscape-scales, and developing methods to best protect them. A particular focus has been understanding how the invasive chytrid fungus has caused declines in frog species globally, and using this information to better plan for their recovery. In his current position at UC, he is working within a large research group that is aiming to use these findings to help reintroduce the locally extinct Green and Golden Bell Frog to the ACT.

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