Guarding Minnesota’s wetlands from disease

Imagine a pristine Minnesota wetland, buzzing with life — the familiar chorus of spring peepers and the occasional flash of a bright-spotted salamander. Now, imagine a silent, unseen threat capable of wiping out these delicate populations. 

This is the reality facing amphibians worldwide, driven in part by a group of deadly pathogens known as chytrid fungi.

The immediate concern is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which is already driving population declines in North America. However, an even greater threat is looming: Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). Though it hasn’t been detected in North America yet, Bsal has caused mass die-offs of salamanders in Europe, and studies show Minnesota’s native species are highly susceptible. For amphibians like the Eastern Newt, found at the western edge of its range in Minnesota, Bsal infection can be deadly.

This new fungal threat requires a proactive, prevention-first approach. To ensure Minnesota is ready, a multi-institutional research effort led by Amy Kinsley, assistant professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, secured a new round of funding: $200,000 from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) through the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center.

"This work is really about planning and preparedness,” Kinsley says. “When students, volunteers, and agency partners contribute to surveillance and planning efforts, we can turn local observations into statewide protection strategies. That collective effort strengthens Minnesota’s ability to protect not just amphibians, but the broader biodiversity and ecosystem health they support if Bsal ever arrives."

Sentinels of the wetlands

The project involves a blend of boots-on-the-ground fieldwork and advanced data modeling. In its initial phase (also funded by the LCCMR), Kinsley and her collaborator, Jen Lamb, associate professor of biology at St. Cloud State University, built the essential groundwork for a coordinated effort. 

This included creating the Minnesota Student Network for Amphibian Pathogen Surveillance (MN SNAPS), through which they recruited partners across the state, including the Dodge Nature Center, the Lake Superior Zoo, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and dozens more.  These partner groups, along with researchers from Kinsley and Lamb’s labs, go out into Minnesota’s wetlands to gather samples that provide crucial baseline data on the health of the amphibians they find. Since 2024, they have collected over 400 samples to be tested for both Bd and Bsal.

This data collection is what fuels the entire defense system, providing surveillance and early warning of any trouble brewing in the marshes and bogs that amphibians call home. The data provided by the samples gives scientists a way to track the movement of pathogens and build a clear picture of what’s happening in our aquatic ecosystems.

Surveillance results, even when they come back negative, are vital. The team uses these non-detections to refine sophisticated statistical models that estimate the true likelihood of Bsal being absent in a given area. This process effectively reduces the uncertainty around the threat. By accounting for factors like the probability of detection and incorporating the data from the past two years, the researchers can create dynamic risk maps that clearly illustrate where resources — and, critically, the state's official response plans — should be focused.

The new LCCMR funding will expand this work. The team plans to grow the MN SNAPS network, engaging more volunteers, students and high-risk groups such as pet stores and breeders. They will also incorporate environmental DNA surveillance, which tests water samples for pathogens and species that are difficult to observe directly. This tool will enhance monitoring in hard-to-reach wetlands.

With this expanded data, the researchers will refine their risk models and develop a rapid-response framework for Bsal. In collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and other stakeholders, they will simulate various response scenarios, such as detection in busy lakes or remote areas. The goal is to ensure resource managers are prepared to act swiftly, prioritizing containment strategies if Bsal arrives.

By adapting national guidance to Minnesota's unique context, this effort fills a critical gap in the fight to protect the state’s amphibian populations and the ecosystems they support.