Chapter 38, Problem 7WIO

Summary Introduction

To determine:

The changes that will happen in algae, garter snakes and bullfrogs. When predator of adult frog’s garter snake was eaten by bullfrogs and mountain yellow legged frogs are killed  by a chytrid fungus.

Concept introduction:

In the given scenario, the predator of adult frog, the garter snake was eaten by bullfrogs and mountain yellow legged frogs are eaten by a chytrid fungus. This scenario clearly shows that all three; algae garter snake and bullfrog are related to each other by food chain.

Chytrid fungus is a pathogen that was first identified in 1999. This is the member of phylum Chytridiumycota also termed as Batrachochytrium dendrobitis. This fungus is very known to cause chytridiomycosis in amphibians such as mountain yellow-legged frogs Rana mucosa and Rana sierrea). During its lifecycle in host it contains a flagellated motile zoospore encysts keratinized amphibian’s tissue (skin of juveniles and adults, the mouthparts of tadpoles). It causes the development of zoosporangium which further forms zoospore by asexual reproduction.