Collaborative Research: Ecosystem Level Consequences of Extinction: Quantifying the Ecological Effects of Catastrophic Amphibian Declines in Neotropical Streams

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Amphibians are important components of aquatic and terrestrial habitats and can represent an important energetic link between the two, particularly in the tropics where diversity and abundance are greatest. However, amphibian populations are declining dramatically around the world, with catastrophic losses occurring even in remote, undisturbed regions of the tropics. Declines often result in the disappearance of over 75% of amphibians at a site, particularly species that breed in streams, and massive losses are reported from 13 Latin American countries in the last 20 years. This research will assess the ecological consequences of amphibian declines by investigating how these losses affect stream structure and function, including biodiversity, productivity, nutrient cycling, and energy and nutrient exchanges between streams and forests. This will be accomplished through intensive examinations of streams located along a moving disease front in Panama before and after disease-driven declines occur. This research addresses an urgent, global problem and will provide information critical for understanding the ecological consequences of extinction and the loss of biodiversity, one of the eight ?grand challenges? and four focal areas of research in the environmental sciences recommended by the National Research Council. Understanding the potential large-scale and far-reaching consequences of catastrophic reductions in biodiversity and extinction events such as these will allow for more accurate predicting of ecological function in light of declining global biodiversity.