Cloud forests in Mexico support exceptional amphibian diversity, especially plethodontid salamanders, but much of this habitat has been altered by agriculture and livestock use. Soto-Pozos et al (2025) examined how past land use influences environmental and skin-associated bacterial communities in six co-occurring salamander species. Salamanders in forest fragments previously used for agriculture hosted more diverse skin bacterial communities, and community composition differed depending on land-use history. Because these microbes can play important roles in amphibian health, such shifts may have ecological consequences. The authors also screened for the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), but detected very low prevalence across sites. Overall, the results suggest that land-use legacy can shape salamander skin microbiomes in cloud forest fragments, which may be critical for understanding disease dynamics and shaping conservation action.

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