Amphibian chytrid infection is influenced by rainfall seasonality and water availability

Autor(es)

Ruggeri, Joice ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; de Carvalho-e-Silva, Sergio Potsch ^[1] ; James, Timothy Y. ^[4] ; Toledo, Luis Felipe ^[2]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Biol, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Biol Anim, Lab Hist Nat Anfibios Brasileiros LaHNAB, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacl, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[4] Univ Michigan, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 - USA

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS; v. 127, n. 2, p. 107-115, JAN 31 2018.
• Citações Web of Science: 5

Resumo

Amphibians suffer from a number of factors that make them the most threatened group of vertebrates. One threat is the fungal disease chytridiomycosis caused by the emerging pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which has rapidly spread and caused the loss of massive amphibian biodiversity worldwide. Recently, Bd was associated with a few amphibian population declines and extinctions in some areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. However, the mechanisms underlying such declines are not fully understood. Therefore, it is essential to improve our knowledge of abiotic factors that can possibly influence Bd prevalence and chytridiomycosis disease severity. Herein we tested the hypothesis that water availability (such as in perennial streams, where Bd is frequently present in larvae) and rainfall would increase the prevalence of Bd. To test this, we sampled frogs from 6 transects with different numbers of perennial waterbodies, and we report that the more water available in the area, the higher the probability of Bd infection on anurans. Seasonality also influenced both the Bd prevalence in the area and the intensity of infection in infected frogs. However, Bd prevalence was higher during the rainy months whereas the infection burden was lower. We suggest that Bd is likely spread during the summer, when most anuran species gather near the water for spawning and when rainfall overfills ephemeral wetlands. On the other hand, during the drier months, a higher infection burden may be explained by increased disease susceptibility. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 16/25358-3 - O fungo quitrídio no Brasil: da sua origem às suas consequências
• Beneficiário: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 14/23388-7 - Comunicação e sistemas sensoriais em anuros da Mata Atlântica
• Beneficiário: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 17/01917-6 - Interação entre o Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis e o Ranavírus em assembleias de anuros do Sul da Mata Atlântica
• Beneficiário: Joice Ruggeri Gomes
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado