Assessing host extinction risk following exposure to
            <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i>

Louca, Stilianos; Lampo, Margarita; Doebeli, Michael

doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.2783

Cited by 14 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…This suggests that compensatory recruitment may be important (Muths et al, 2011;Tobler et al, 2012;Phillott et al, 2013). Consistent with this, simulations indicate that low tadpole infection and subsequent high juvenile frog survivorship can provide a buffer against adult mortality in populations challenged by chytridiomycosis (Louca et al, 2014). However, empirical research investigating the impact of Bd on both adult survivorship and recruitment potential in remnant populations remains limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Low impact of chytridiomycosis on frog recruitment enables persistence in refuges despite high adult mortality

Scheele

Hunter

Skerratt

et al. 2015

Biological Conservation

110

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The global chytridiomycosis pandemic caused by the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is implicated in the apparent extinction or severe decline of over 200 amphibian species. Many declined species now only persist in isolated remnant populations. In this study we examine how remnant populations coexist with Bd, focusing on disease impact on adult survival and recruitment potential in the chytridiomycosis-threatened frog Litoria verreauxii alpina. Using skeletochronology we found that the adult male population in both 2011 and 2012 was dominated by a two year old age cohort. The lack of recruitment into the three year old cohort in 2012 indicates that annual adult survival is very low. Combined with high Bd prevalence and heavy infection burdens, the pathogen appears to drive almost complete mortality of breeding adults over their first breeding season. However, adults successfully mate prior to large increases in disease prevalence that occurs during the breeding season. Infection prevalence among tadpoles and juveniles is low. Exposure to warm water could provide a mechanism for avoiding or clearing Bd infection. Relatively low Bd prevalence in juveniles prior to dispersal into terrestrial habitat indicates that Bd has minimal impact on early life history stages. As such, recruitment is probably high, allowing populations to persist despite low adult survival. This dependence on reliable annual recruitment may explain why remnant populations persist in permanent ponds rather than ephemeral ponds that were historically occupied. New management strategies that focus on increasing recruitment may provide a way forward for the management of disease-threatened amphibian species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Low impact of chytridiomycosis on frog recruitment enables persistence in refuges despite high adult mortality

Scheele

Hunter

Skerratt

et al. 2015

Biological Conservation

110

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…12,15,16 Exacerbated by climate change and anthropogenic distribution, it is unclear how much additional amphibian diversity will be lost to chytrid infection without intervention. 17,18 A significant hurdle to effective management of chytrid infections is the lack of basic knowledge about their biology. With no way to study the molecular mechanisms underlying host identification, infection, and growth in parasitic chytrids, the field is struggling to develop mitigation strategies for even a single host species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Efficiency Electroporation of Chytrid Fungi

Swafford

Hussey

Fritz‐Laylin

2020

Preprint

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Two species of parasitic fungi from the phylum Chytridiomycota (chytrids) are annihilating global amphibian populations. These chytrid species-Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans-have high rates of mortality and transmission. Upon establishing infection in amphibians, chytrids rapidly multiply within the skin and disrupt their hosts' vital homeostasis mechanisms. Current disease models suggest that chytrid fungi locate and infect their hosts during a motile, unicellular 'zoospore' life stage. Moreover, other chytrid species parasitize organisms from across the tree of life, making future epidemics in new hosts a likely possibility. Efforts to mitigate the damage and spread of chytrid disease have been stymied by the lack of knowledge about basic chytrid biology and tools with which to test molecular hypotheses about disease mechanisms. To overcome this bottleneck, we have developed high-efficiency delivery of molecular payloads into chytrid zoospores using electroporation. Our electroporation protocols result in payload delivery to between 75-97% of living cells of three species: B. dendrobatidis, B. salamandrivorans, and a non-pathogenic relative, S. punctatus. This method lays the foundation for molecular genetic tools needed to establish ecological mitigation strategies and answer broader questions in evolutionary and cell biology.

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“…To date, models of Bd-dynamics [8,9,49,50] have not included estimates of spore loss by micrograzers. As indicated above, the modelling provided here is instructive and could benefit from elaboration.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial grazers may aid in controlling infections caused by aquatic zoosporic fungi

Farthing

Jiang

Henwood

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Metazoan disease control may require an understanding and inclusion of microbial ecology.We evaluated the ability of micrograzers (primarily protozoa) to control chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a devastating panzootic pathogen of amphibians. Although micrograzers consumed zoospores (~3 µm), the dispersal stage of chytrids, not all species grew monoxenically on zoospores; but the ubiquitous ciliate Tetrahymena pyrifomis, exhibited a growth rate of 1.7 d -1 and approached its maximum rate of growth. A functional response (ingestion vs. prey abundance) of T. pyrifomis measured on spore-surrogates (microspheres) revealed maximum ingestion (Imax) of 1.63 x 10 3 spores d -1 , with a half saturation constant (k) of 5.75 x 10 3 spores ml -1 . We then developed and assessed a population model that incorporated chytrid-host and micrograzer dynamics over 100 days.Simulations using T. pyrifomis data and realistic parameters obtained from the literature, suggested that micrograzers can control B. dendrobatidis and prevent chytridiomycosis (defined as 10 4 sporangia per host). However, inferior micrograzers (0.7 x Imax and 1.5 x k) were unable to prevent chytridiomycosis, although they did reduce pathogen abundance to negligible levels. These findings strongly argue that micrograzers should be considered when evaluating disease dynamics for B. dendrobatidis and other zoosporic fungi.

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Assessing host extinction risk following exposure to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Cited by 14 publications

References 51 publications

Low impact of chytridiomycosis on frog recruitment enables persistence in refuges despite high adult mortality

Low impact of chytridiomycosis on frog recruitment enables persistence in refuges despite high adult mortality

High-Efficiency Electroporation of Chytrid Fungi

Microbial grazers may aid in controlling infections caused by aquatic zoosporic fungi

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