Ancient behaviors of larval amphibians in response to an emerging fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Han, Barbara A.; Bradley, Paul W.; Blaustein, Andrew R.

doi:10.1007/s00265-008-0655-8

Cited by 36 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Stimulus Bd treatment P. regilla larvae were exposed to an average of 1,020 zoospores of Bd per liter in their exposure aquaria. Similar methods have been shown to successfully infect both larval amphibians and adults (Berger et al 2005;Blaustein et al 2005b;Carey et al 2006;Han et al 2008). We allowed Bd infection to develop for 3 weeks after inoculation before using the P. regilla in our experiment.…”

Section: Mesocosm Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Experimental examination of the effects of ultraviolet-B radiation in combination with other stressors on frog larvae

et al. 2009

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Ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB) is a ubiquitous stressor with negative effects on many aquatic organisms. In amphibians, ambient levels of UVB can result in impaired growth, slowed development, malformations, altered behavior and mortality. UVB can also interact with other environmental stressors to amplify these negative effects on individuals. In outdoor mesocosm and laboratory experiments we studied potential synergistic effects of UVB, a pathogenic fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), and varying temperatures on larval Cascades frogs (Rana cascadae). First, we compared survivorship, growth and development in two mesocosm experiments with UVB- and Bd-exposure treatments. We then investigated the effects of UVB on larvae in the laboratory under two temperature regimes, monitoring survival and behavior. We found reduced survival of R. cascadae larvae with exposure to UVB radiation in all experiments. In the mesocosm experiments, growth and development were not affected in either treatment, and no effect of Bd was found. In the laboratory experiment, larvae exposed to UVB demonstrated decreased activity levels. We also found a trend towards reduced survival when UVB and cold temperatures were combined. Our results show that amphibian larvae can suffer both lethal and sublethal effects when exposed to UVB radiation.

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Section: Mesocosm Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Experimental examination of the effects of ultraviolet-B radiation in combination with other stressors on frog larvae

et al. 2009

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“…Geiger et al [155] showed that elevated temperature regimes cleared Bd from Midwife toad tadpoles (Alytes obstetricans), while Weinstein [156] and Retallick & Miera [157] showed that housing infected adults at high temperatures cleared experimental Bd infection. Han et al [158] found no evidence of behavioural fever in larvae of four frog species exposed to Bd.…”

Section: (Iv) Consequences Of Infection For Amphibian Populations Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, traits associated with certain amphibian species, namely those that put them at more or less risk of coming into contact with Bd, drive patterns of disease across geographical regions [74,133]. These traits may include affinity for certain temperatures or social tendencies [74,128,133,158]. Once exposure to Bd occurs, host responses as well as pathogen-specific traits play an integral role in driving the pathology of infection.…”

Section: (Iv) Consequences Of Infection For Amphibian Populations Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecophysiology meets conservation: understanding the role of disease in amphibian population declines

Blaustein

Gervasi

Johnson

et al. 2012

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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138

114

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Infectious diseases are intimately associated with the dynamics of biodiversity. However, the role that infectious disease plays within ecological communities is complex. The complex effects of infectious disease at the scale of communities and ecosystems are driven by the interaction between host and pathogen. Whether or not a given host-pathogen interaction results in progression from infection to disease is largely dependent on the physiological characteristics of the host within the context of the external environment. Here, we highlight the importance of understanding the outcome of infection and disease in the context of host ecophysiology using amphibians as a model system. Amphibians are ideal for such a discussion because many of their populations are experiencing declines and extinctions, with disease as an important factor implicated in many declines and extinctions. Exposure to pathogens and the host's responses to infection can be influenced by many factors related to physiology such as host life history, immunology, endocrinology, resource acquisition, behaviour and changing climates. In our review, we discuss the relationship between disease and biodiversity. We highlight the dynamics of three amphibian host-pathogen systems that induce different effects on hosts and life stages and illustrate the complexity of amphibianhost-parasite systems. We then review links between environmental stress, endocrine -immune interactions, disease and climate change.

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“…This strong interdisciplinary approach has led to a burgeoning literature (http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/phtm/ PHTM/frogs/batrachochytrium.htm). It has become clear that the effects of BD on amphibians are strongly modulated by amphibian behavior, ecology, and species interactions (Woodhams et al, 2003;Parris and Beaudoin, 2004;Parris and Cornelius, 2004;Woodhams and Alford, 2005;Rowley and Alford, 2007;Han et al, 2008). Ecologists have long recognized that many questions about such relationships can be clearly resolved using well-designed experiments (Ramsey and Shafer, 1997;Resetarits and Bernardo, 1998;Jenkins, 2004).…”

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confidence: 97%

The Value of Well-Designed Experiments in Studying Diseases with Special Reference to Amphibians

2009

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Relatively few studies of amphibian diseases have employed standard ecological experimental designs. We discuss what constitutes a well-designed ecological experiment and encourage their use in disease studies. We illustrate how well-designed experiments can be used to determine the effects of pathogens on amphibians and we illustrate how ancillary information, including that collected using molecular tools, can be used to enhance the value of such experiments.

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Ancient behaviors of larval amphibians in response to an emerging fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Cited by 36 publications

References 53 publications

Experimental examination of the effects of ultraviolet-B radiation in combination with other stressors on frog larvae

Experimental examination of the effects of ultraviolet-B radiation in combination with other stressors on frog larvae

Ecophysiology meets conservation: understanding the role of disease in amphibian population declines

The Value of Well-Designed Experiments in Studying Diseases with Special Reference to Amphibians

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