Researchers from the University of Tennessee are on a mission to save a little creature that plays a big role in our lives-- the salamander.
The salamander is facing a pathogen that may wipe out a third of its population. This pathogen is called Bsal; it is currently in Europe but will likely spread to America. It is important to understand the threat to help protect wild life and help prevent what could be a tremendous lose in biodiversity.
AgResearcher Matt Gray said, “We’re super concerned if that pathogen gets here to North America because we have the highest biodiversity of salamanders in the world, especially right here in the southern Appalachians. We have about sixty species of salamanders right here in Tennessee.”
On why these creatures are necessary, Gray added, “Importantly they’re insectivores...they’re eating insects. Insects that can affect agriculture, and also negatively affect humans such as mosquitoes.
