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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Partitioning the net effect of host diversity on an emerging amphibian pathogen

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Author(s):
Becker, C. Guilherme [1] ; Rodriguez, David [1, 2] ; Felipe Toledo, L. [3] ; Longo, Ana V. [1] ; Lambertini, Carolina [3] ; Correa, Decio T. [4, 3] ; Leite, Domingos S. [5] ; Haddad, Celio F. B. [6] ; Zamudio, Kelly R. [1]
Total Authors: 9
Affiliation:
[1] Cornell Univ, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Ithaca, NY 14853 - USA
[2] Texas State Univ, Dept Agr, San Marcos, TX 78666 - USA
[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Anim, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil
[4] Univ Texas Austin, Dept Integrat Biol, Austin, TX 78712 - USA
[5] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Genet Evolucao & Bioagentes, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil
[6] Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Zool, BR-13506900 Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 6
Document type: Journal article
Source: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; v. 281, n. 1795 NOV 22 2014.
Web of Science Citations: 24
Abstract

The `dilution effect' (DE) hypothesis predicts that diverse host communities will show reduced disease. The underlying causes of pathogen dilution are complex, because they involve non-additive (driven by host interactions and differential habitat use) and additive (controlled by host species composition) mechanisms. Here, we used measures of complementarity and selection traditionally employed in the field of biodiversity-ecosystem function (BEF) to quantify the net effect of host diversity on disease dynamics of the amphibian- killing fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Complementarity occurs when average infection load in diverse host assemblages departs from that of each component species in uniform populations. Selection measures the disproportionate impact of a particular species in diverse assemblages compared with its performance in uniform populations, and therefore has strong additive and non-additive properties. We experimentally infected tropical amphibian species of varying life histories, in single-and multi-host treatments, and measured individual Bd infection loads. Host diversity reduced Bd infection in amphibians through a mechanism analogous to complementarity (sensu BEF), potentially by reducing shared habitat use and transmission among hosts. Additionally, the selection component indicated that one particular terrestrial species showed reduced infection loads in diverse assemblages at the expense of neighbouring aquatic hosts becoming heavily infected. By partitioning components of diversity, our findings underscore the importance of additive and non-additive mechanisms underlying the DE. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/04160-0 - Local phenotypic variation in the amphibian-killing fungus predicts infection dynamics
Grantee:Carolina Lambertini
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
FAPESP's process: 11/51694-7 - Into the heart of an epidemic: a US-Brazil collaboration for integrative studies of the amphibian-killing fungus in Brazil
Grantee:Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
FAPESP's process: 08/50928-1 - Speciation of frogs in high-altitude environments
Grantee:Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants