Coming Up...

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Nazia Akram and Clare Goodhill

University of Melbourne

"Chytrid double-header"

2nd July 2025
Elgin Inn Hawthorn

From 6:30 pm - Talk starts 7:30 pm

"Frogs vs Fungus: How slimy skin secrets could save amphibians from extinction"

What if the key to saving frogs from a global killer is hidden in their skin? Nazia's PhD dives into the microscopic battlefield between frogs and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd)—the chytrid fungus responsible for catastrophic amphibian declines. Armed with skin-derived chemical weapons like antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and toxic alkaloids, some frogs can fight back. Nazia is using a frog cell line model (Xenopus laevis A6 cells) to track how Bd infects cells and how these natural skin secretions—and their synthetic versions—can block, weaken, or kill the fungus. By decoding these defenses, Nazia hopes to uncover new ways to protect vulnerable frog species before it’s too late.

Nazia Akram has a BS (Hons) in Zoology and is currently pursuing a PhD exploring how frog skin chemicals can fight the deadly chytrid fungus. Her research blends her passion for animals, conservation, and uncovering nature’s hidden defenses.

"Assessing the effects of fungal metabolites as a potential prophylaxis to a lethal amphibian fungus"

The novel fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), and the resulting disease chytridiomycosis, have decimated frog populations globally. Recent research has shown that non-infectious substances produced by Bd (termed ‘Bd metabolites’) may enhance the resilience of certain frog species against Bd infections. Clare explored the effectiveness of Bd metabolites and how this effectiveness varied across life stages in two Australian frog species, adult Kroombit Tinker Frogs (Taudactylus pleione) and post-metamorphic and larval Green Tree Frogs (Litoria caerulea). Although all tadpoles failed to develop a Bd infection following exposure to Bd metabolites or the control, metabolite-exposed L. caerulea tadpoles exhibited suppressed growth and lasting stunted development. L. caerulea metamorphs did develop Bd infections, but exposure to Bd metabolites neither affected growth nor increased their resilience to Bd. Unexpectedly, the critically endangered T. pleione did not develop a Bd infection. Overall, there were no clear benefits in exposing amphibians to Bd metabolites. Given the negative impact on tadpoles, Bd metabolites cannot be recommended as a Bd prophylactic. Clare's findings highlight the need for tailored approaches in managing Bd infections.

Clare completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Queensland in Science. In her third year she became fascinated with the chytrid fungus infecting frogs, and conducted her honours on it in the following year. Now she is studying a PhD at the University of Melbourne also in chytrid.

All are welcome in the audience -
no RSVP/registration necessary

Join us upstairs at The Elgin from 6:30 pm for dinner and drinks (available for purchase).

Talk starts at 7:30 pm at The Elgin Inn 75 Burwood Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122

Sincere thanks to our 2024 speakers:

Sam Wallace

Jessica Keem, Kevin Newman and David De Angelis

Jeff Hughes

Matt Clancy, Justine Holmes, Sue Bendel, Dan Guinto

John Gould

Ellen Cottingham and Stephen Frankenberg

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Nick Clemann - "Frogs of Victoria - a new resource for Fighting Extinction" Frogs Vic, August 2023

Aug 16, 2023

This seminar will introduce the new Frogs of Victoria book, look at the ‘golden era’ of research on Vic frogs, delve into the features of the book, and examine the reasons that half of the State’s frog fauna is listed as threatened, and what must be done to arrest declines.

Nick Clemann began working at the Victorian government’s Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) late last century; over 25 years at the ARI Nick led programs on threatened species across SE Australia. He worked on international scientific expeditions in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Argentina. Nick’s extensive publication record includes papers from these expeditions, as well as conservation of lizards, snakes and – of course – frogs. Nick reviews reptile and frog submissions for the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, and serves on the Threatened Fauna Translocation Evaluation Panel. He has chaired several National Recovery Teams for threatened frogs, and holds an honorary position with Museums Victoria. Nick currently works for Zoos Victoria where he leads the Fighting Extinction programs on a snake, several lizards, and the Southern Giant Burrowing Frog.

Dr Jeff Hughes - "Searching for the Giant Burrowing Frog (Heleioporus australiacus) in Gippsland"

Jun 2, 2023

Jeff Hughes is a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry and Environmental Science within the School of Sciences at RMIT University. In recent years he has coupled his expertise in the physical sciences with a passion for frogs, recently having supervised PhD graduate Brendan Casey who undertook much of the work being presented.

The Giant Burrowing Frog (Heleioporus australiacus) is one of Victoria’s largest frogs but also one of the rarest. There have been only sporadic reports of the GBF in recent years. Records of this species in Victoria are confined to Gippsland east of Walhalla.

The scarcity of reports and cryptic habits of this species made it a good candidate to use bioacoustic monitoring to search for. In this presentation we will look at what is known about the GBF and the methods we used. The GBF, and also the Southern Toadlet, have played recent roles in influencing plans for new mining operations in Gippsland.

Listen to the Giant Burrowing Frog here: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/...

Frogs Vic is currently seeking technological support - to assist with sound and video at events. Please e-mail info@frogsvic.org if you might be interested in helping.

Dr Tiffany Kosch - A Case for Targeted Genetic Intervention for Amphibian Restoration - April 2023

Apr 14, 2023

Dr Tiffany Kosch is a research fellow in One Health Research Group

at the University of Melbourne, where she studies genetic intervention approaches

for increasing chytridiomycosis resistance in frogs.

Tiffany will talk about her research to understand the genetic basis of

immunity to chytridiomycosis in Australian frogs and how this information

can be used to restore threatened species to the wild.