Incidence of Chytrid Fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in Southeast Coast Network Parks

The Southeastern U.S. is host to one of the most diverse amphibian communities in the world. With an estimated 140 amphibian species, more than half of which are salamanders, the Southeast accounts for about half of the total number of amphibians in the U.S. (Echternacht & Harris 1993, Petranka 1998). The Southeast Coast Network (SECN) consists of 20 National Parks that encompass more than 184,000 acres of federally-managed land throughout Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Sixty-one amphibian species are confirmed to occur in SECN parks; 26 in Caudata, and 35 in Anura (NPSpecies 2011; Table 1).