From The Imperial College London:
The researchers, from Imperial College London and two Madrid institutions, found a correlation between significant warming of the local climate in Spain between 1976 and 2002 and the emergence of the fungal disease Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (BD) in the area.
The fungus infects amphibians' skin and is believed to cause disease by interfering with the skin’s ability to absorb water. As a result of BD, the common midwife toad is now virtually extinct in the area of Spain studied by the researchers, the Penalara Natural Park, where it was once thriving.
The researchers suggest it is likely that increases in the number of BD-related mass mortalities are due to a combination of factors relating to climate change.
"This is a wake up call that we are losing biodiversity fast. Climate change appears to be changing patterns of disease and previously resistant species are becoming highly infected and even, in a number of cases, becoming extinct," he added.
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