Local phenotypic variation in amphibian-killing fungus predicts infection dynamics

Author(s)

Lambertini, Carolina ^[1] ; Guilherme Becker, C. ^[2] ; Jenkinson, Thomas S. ^[3] ; Rodriguez, David ^[4] ; Leite, Domingos da Silva ^[5] ; James, Timothy Y. ^[3] ; Zamudio, Kelly R. ^[6] ; Toledo, Luis Felipe ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Biol Anim, Lab Hist Nat Anfibios Brasileiros LaHNAB, BR-13083862 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Zool, BR-13506900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Michigan, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 - USA

^[4] Texas State Univ, Dept Biol, San Marcos, TX 78666 - USA

^[5] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Genet Evolucao & Bioagentes, BR-13083862 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[6] Cornell Univ, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Ithaca, NY 14850 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Fungal Ecology; v. 20, p. 15-21, APR 2016.
• Web of Science Citations: 6

Abstract

Environmental factors can limit the distribution of organisms if they are not able to respond through phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a broadly distributed pathogen, which shows spatially patterned genotypic and phenotypic variation; however, information on the functional consequences of this variation on disease dynamics in natural hosts is limited. We genotyped and quantified variation in Bd phenotypes across an elevational gradient and quantified host infection dynamics at each site. All Bd strains were members of the global panzootic lineage yet differed in phenotype. We hypothesize that this phenotypic variance results from adaptive processes due to the interaction between pathogen, hosts, and environment. We detected a correlation between zoospore and zoosporangia sizes and a positive association between zoosporangia size and Bd prevalence. Given that Bd phenotype predicted disease status in our wild populations, we developed an index to identify critical environments where the fungus could be more deleterious. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The British Mycological Society. All rights reserved. (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