No evidence for effects of infection with the amphibian chytrid fungus on populations of yellow-bellied toads
| Autor: | Michael Veith, Martin Wittich, Daniela Guicking, Kurt Weising, Norman Wagner, Lennart Finke, Claus Neubeck, Christian Geske |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine Amphibian Range (biology) Population Endangered species Aquatic Science 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Bombina variegata 03 medical and health sciences Germany biology.animal Animals Chytridiomycosis education Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Population Density Chytridiomycota education.field_of_study biology Ecology biology.organism_classification Population decline 030104 developmental biology Mycoses Anura |
| Zdroj: | Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 123:55-65 |
| ISSN: | 1616-1580 0177-5103 |
| Popis: | The parasitic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) can cause the lethal disease chytridiomycosis in amphibians and therefore may play a role in population declines. The yellow-bellied toad Bombina variegata suffered strong declines throughout western and northwestern parts of its range and is therefore listed as highly endangered for Germany and the federal state of Hesse. Whether chytridiomycosis may play a role in the observed local declines of this strictly protected anuran species has never been tested. We investigated 19 Hessian yellow-bellied toad populations for Bd infection rates, conducted capture-mark-recapture studies in 4 of them over 2 to 3 yr, examined survival histories of recaptured infected individuals, and tested whether multi-locus heterozygosity of individuals as well as expected heterozygosity and different environmental variables of populations affect probabilities of Bd infection. Our results show high prevalence of Bd infection in Hessian yellow-bellied toad populations, but although significant decreases in 2 populations could be observed, no causative link to Bd as the reason for this can be established. Mass mortalities or obvious signs of disease in individuals were not observed. Conversely, we show that growth of Bd-infected populations is possible under favorable habitat conditions and that most infected individuals could be recaptured with improved body indices. Neither genetic diversity nor environmental variables appeared to affect Bd infection probabilities. Hence, genetically diverse amphibian specimens and populations may not automatically be less susceptible for Bd infection. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|