# Investigation: Fungus may have killed Atlantic Forest amphibians in the 1970s and ’80s

Source: [Conservation news](https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/investigation-fungus-may-have-killed-atlantic-forest-amphibians-in-the-1979s-and-80s/) · 2026-11-10 · Life
Page: https://themorning.science/story/investigation-fungus-may-have-killed-atlantic-forest-amphibians-in-the-1970s-and-24e79a9c642493c2
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Researchers now propose a fungus may have caused frog die-offs in Brazil's Atlantic Forest in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Earlier explanations for the decline included severe cold snaps and acid rain.
- The source describes the proposed culprit as a highly pathogenic fungus, based on the investigation's findings.

## Why it matters

The proposed fungal cause offers a candidate explanation for a historic amphibian decline, which matters for understanding how pathogens drive biodiversity loss in tropical forests.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-10: Mongabay published an investigation proposing a fungus as the cause of the 1970s and 1980s Atlantic Forest amphibian die-offs

## Coverage

- [Investigation: Fungus may have killed Atlantic Forest amphibians in the 1970s and ’80s](https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/investigation-fungus-may-have-killed-atlantic-forest-amphibians-in-the-1979s-and-80s/) — Conservation news, 2026-11-10

Tags: amphibians, atlantic forest, fungal disease, biodiversity loss, brazil

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science