Into the heart of an epidemic: a US-Brazil collaboration for integrative studies of the amphibian-killing fungus in Brazil

• Grant number: 11/51694-7
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: August 01, 2012 - July 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Cooperation agreement: NSF - CNIC
• Principal researcher: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Grantee: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Principal researcher abroad: Timothy Yong James
• Institution abroad: University of Michigan, United States
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

We propose planning meetings and preliminary data generation to seed new international collaborations for studies of the ecology and evolution of the amphibian-killing fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Causes of species declines in the Atlantic Forest include habitat destruction and invasive species, but the contribution of the chytridiomycosis, which has caused global amphibian declines, is uncertain. Our initial results verified that the disease is widespread and evidence suggest that the genetic diversity of the pathogen in Brazil is greater than in any other country sampled to date. Therefore, we are planning 2 meetings, 1 in the US and 1 in Brazil, to bring together faculty and student researchers from 5 participating laboratories, establish the directions and participation of various members in collaborative projects, define plans for upcoming applications for funding for this work, and collect the preliminary data to establish a foundation for future collaborative research proposals. Combined, our research interests fall into the major areas: 1) discover the spatial and temporal occurrence of Bd in Brazil by taking advantage of historical collections in focal anurans likely to be Bd hosts, 2) identify patterns in genetic variation in contemporary populations to test for disease endemism and recombination, and 3) integrate historical occurrence with phenotypic and genotypic variation relevant to pathogenicity by building research protocols and a large genetic repository of Brazilian Bd strains. These areas will be studied both by means of broad and local scale approaches. Our aim is to provide a first general and deep assessment of this emergent disease that is directly associated to amphibian population declines and extinctions worldwide. (AU)

Scientific publications

(25)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

LUZ NUNES-DE-ALMEIDA, CARLOS HENRIQUE; BATISTA HADDAD, CELIO FERNANDO; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE. A revised classification of the amphibian reproductive modes. SALAMANDRA, v. 57, n. 3, p. 413-427, AUG 15 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

RUTHSATZ, KATHARINA; LYRA, MARIANA L.; LAMBERTINI, CAROLINA; BELASEN, ANAT M.; JENKINSON, THOMAS S.; LEITE, DOMINGOS DA SILVA; BECKER, C. GUILHERME; HADDAD, CELIO F. B.; JAMES, TIMOTHY Y.; ZAMUDIO, KELLY R.; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE; VENCES, MIGUEL. Skin microbiome correlates with bioclimate and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection intensity in Brazil's Atlantic Forest treefrogs. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 10, n. 1 DEC 18 2020. Web of Science Citations: 3.

GREENSPAN, S. E.; LAMBERTINI, C.; CARVALHO, T.; JAMES, T. Y.; TOLEDO, L. F.; HADDAD, C. F. B.; BECKER, C. G. Hybrids of amphibian chytrid show high virulence in native hosts. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 8, JUN 25 2018. Web of Science Citations: 10.

HAGA, ISABELLE AQUEMI; DE ANDRADE, FELIPE SILVA; BRUSCHI, DANIEL PACHECO; RECCO-PIMENTEL, SHIRLEI MARIA; GIARETTA, ARIOVALDO ANTONIO. Unrevealing the leaf frogs Cerrado diversity: A new species of Pithecopus (Anura, Arboranae, Phyllomedusidae) from the Mato Grosso state, Brazil. PLoS One, v. 12, n. 9 SEP 27 2017. Web of Science Citations: 5.

FORTI, LUCAS RODRIGUEZ; BECKER, C. GUILHERME; TACIOLI, LEANDRO; PEREIRA, VANIA ROSA; SANTOS, ANDRE CID F. A.; OLIVEIRA, IGOR; HADDAD, CELIO F. B.; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE. Perspectives on invasive amphibians in Brazil. PLoS One, v. 12, n. 9 SEP 22 2017. Web of Science Citations: 4.

BECKER, C. G.; GREENSPAN, S. E.; TRACY, K. E.; DASH, J. A.; LAMBERTINI, C.; JENKINSON, T. S.; LEITE, D. S.; TOLEDO, L. F.; LONGCORE, J. E.; JAMES, T. Y.; ZAMUDIO, K. R. Variation in phenotype and virulence among enzootic and panzootic amphibian chytrid lineages. Fungal Ecology, v. 26, p. 45-50, APR 2017. Web of Science Citations: 14.

FORTI, LUCAS RODRIGUEZ; LINGNAU, RODRIGO; ENCARNACAO, LAIS CARVALHO; BERTOLUCI, JAIME; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE. Can treefrog phylogeographical clades and species' phylogenetic topologies be recovered by bioacoustical analyses?. PLoS One, v. 12, n. 2 FEB 24 2017. Web of Science Citations: 11.

RUANO-FAJARDO, GUSTAVO; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE; MOTT, TAMI. Jumping into a trap: high prevalence of chytrid fungus in the preferred microhabitats of a bromeliad-specialist frog. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS, v. 121, n. 3, p. 223-232, OCT 27 2016. Web of Science Citations: 5.

JENKINSON, T. S.; ROMAN, C. M. BETANCOURT; LAMBERTINI, C.; VALENCIA-AGUILAR, A.; RODRIGUEZ, D.; NUNES-DE-ALMEIDA, C. H. L.; RUGGERI, J.; BELASEN, A. M.; DA SILVA LEITE, D.; ZAMUDIO, K. R.; LONGCORE, J. E.; TOLEDO, F. L.; JAMES, T. Y. Amphibian-killing chytrid in Brazil comprises both locally endemic and globally expanding populations. Molecular Ecology, v. 25, n. 13, p. 2978-2996, JUL 2016. Web of Science Citations: 28.

DE ANDRADE, FELIPE SILVA; DE MAGALHAES, FELIPE DE MEDEIROS; LUZ NUNES-DE-ALMEIDA, CARLOS HENRIQUE; PRADO VEIGA-MENONCELLO, ANA CRISTINA; SANTANA, DIEGO JOSE; GARDA, ADRIAN ANTONIO; LOEBMANN, DANIEL; RECCO-PIMENTEL, SHIRLEI MARIA; GIARETTA, ARIOVALDO ANTONIO; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE. A new species of long-legged Pseudopaludicola from northeastern Brazil (Anura, Leptodactylidae, Leiuperinae). SALAMANDRA, v. 52, n. 2, p. 107-124, JUN 30 2016. Web of Science Citations: 12.

DE OLIVEIRA, IGOR SOARES; ROEDDER, DENNIS; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE. Potential worldwide impacts of sea level rise on coastal-lowland anurans. North-Western Journal of Zoology, v. 12, n. 1, p. 91-101, JUN 2016. Web of Science Citations: 4.

NUNES-DE-ALMEIDA, CARLOS HENRIQUE L.; ZAMUDIO, KELLY R.; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE. The Semiterrestrial Tadpole of Cycloramphus rhyakonastes Heyer, 1983 (Anura, Cycloramphidae). Journal of Herpetology, v. 50, n. 2, p. 289-294, JUN 2016. Web of Science Citations: 1.

LAMBERTINI, CAROLINA; GUILHERME BECKER, C.; JENKINSON, THOMAS S.; RODRIGUEZ, DAVID; LEITE, DOMINGOS DA SILVA; JAMES, TIMOTHY Y.; ZAMUDIO, KELLY R.; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE. Local phenotypic variation in amphibian-killing fungus predicts infection dynamics. Fungal Ecology, v. 20, p. 15-21, APR 2016. Web of Science Citations: 6.

PREUSS, JACKSON FABIO; LAMBERTINI, CAROLINA; LEITE, DOMINGOS DA SILVA; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE; LUCAS, ELAINE MARIA. Crossing the threshold: an amphibian assemblage highly infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the southern Brazilian Atlantic forest. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, v. 51, n. 1, p. 68-77, APR 2016. Web of Science Citations: 3.

GUILHERME BECKER, C.; RODRIGUEZ, DAVID; LONGO, ANA V.; FELIPE TOLEDO, L.; LAMBERTINI, CAROLINA; LEITE, DOMINGOS S.; HADDAD, CELLO F. B.; ZAMUDIO, KELLY R. Deforestation, host community structure, and amphibian disease risk. BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY, v. 17, n. 1, p. 72-80, FEB 2016. Web of Science Citations: 9.

BOVO, RAFAEL P.; ANDRADE, DENIS V.; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE; LONGO, ANA V.; RODRIGUEZ, DAVID; HADDAD, CELIO F. B.; ZAMUDIO, KELLY R.; GUILHERME BECKER, C. Physiological responses of Brazilian amphibians to an enzootic infection of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS, v. 117, n. 3, p. 245-252, JAN 13 2016. Web of Science Citations: 7.

PREUSS, JACKSON FABIO; LAMBERTINI, CAROLINA; LEITE, DOMINGOS DA SILVA; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE; LUCAS, ELAINE MARIA. Batrachochytriurn dendrobatidis in near threatened and endangered amphibians in the southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. North-Western Journal of Zoology, v. 11, n. 2, p. 360-362, DEC 2015. Web of Science Citations: 2.

SALLA, RAQUEL FERNANDA; GAMERO, FERNANDO URBAN; RIBEIRO, LARISSA RODRIGUES; RIZZI, GISELE MIGLIORANZA; DAL MEDICO, SAMUEL ESPINOSA; RISSOLI, RAFAEL ZANELLI; VIEIRA, CONRADO AUGUSTO; MATHIAS SILVA-ZACARIN, ELAINE CRISTINA; LEITE, DOMINGOS SILVA; ABDALLA, FABIO CAMARGO; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE; COSTA, MONICA JONES. Cardiac adaptations of bullfrog tadpoles in response to chytrid infection. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART A-ECOLOGICAL GENETICS AND PHYSIOLOGY, v. 323, n. 7, p. 487-496, AUG 1 2015. Web of Science Citations: 7.

RUGGERI, JOICE; LONGO, ANA V.; GAIARSA, MARILIA P.; ALENCAR, LAURA R. V.; LAMBERTINI, CAROLINA; LEITE, DOMINGOS S.; CARVALHO-E-SILVA, SERGIO P.; ZAMUDIO, KELLY R.; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE; MARTINS, MARCIO. Seasonal Variation in Population Abundance and Chytrid Infection in Stream-Dwelling Frogs of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. PLoS One, v. 10, n. 7 JUL 10 2015. Web of Science Citations: 10.

TOLEDO, LUIS F.; MARTINS, ITAMAR A.; BRUSCHI, DANIEL P.; PASSOS, MICHEL A.; ALEXANDRE, CESAR; HADDAD, CELIO F. B. The anuran calling repertoire in the light of social context. ACTA ETHOLOGICA, v. 18, n. 2, p. 87-99, JUN 2015. Web of Science Citations: 64.

VALENCIA-AGUILAR, ANYELET; VITAL, MARCOS V. C.; MOTT, TAMI. Seasonality, Environmental Factors, and Host Behavior Linked to Disease Risk in Stream-Dwelling Tadpoles. Herpetologica, v. 72, n. 2, p. 98-106, JUN 2015. Web of Science Citations: 6.

VALENCIA-AGUILAR, ANYELET; RUANO-FAJARDO, GUSTAVO; LAMBERTINI, CAROLINA; LEITE, DOMINGOS DA SILVA; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE; MOTT, TAMI. Chytrid fungus acts as a generalist pathogen infecting species-rich amphibian families in Brazilian rainforests. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS, v. 114, n. 1, p. 61-67, MAY 11 2015. Web of Science Citations: 11.

MENDES, DANIEL MINCAUSCASTE; LEAO, RAFAEL DE FREITAS; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE. Drift fences in traps: theoretical evidence of effectiveness of the two most common arrays applied to terrestrial tetrapods. NATUREZA & CONSERVAÇÃO, v. 13, n. 1, p. 60-66, JAN-JUN 2015. Web of Science Citations: 1.

BECKER, C. GUILHERME; RODRIGUEZ, DAVID; FELIPE TOLEDO, L.; LONGO, ANA V.; LAMBERTINI, CAROLINA; CORREA, DECIO T.; LEITE, DOMINGOS S.; HADDAD, CELIO F. B.; ZAMUDIO, KELLY R. Partitioning the net effect of host diversity on an emerging amphibian pathogen. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 281, n. 1795 NOV 22 2014. Web of Science Citations: 24.

CARDOZO, DARIO; TOLEDO, LUIS FELIPE. Taxonomic status of Pseudopaludicola riopiedadensis Mercadal de Barrio and Barrio, 1994 (Anura, Leptodactylidae, Leiuperinae). Zootaxa, v. 3734, n. 5, p. 571-582, NOV 8 2013. Web of Science Citations: 9.