Climate structuring of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in the threatened amphibians of the northern Western Ghats, India
| Autor: | Lewis Davies, Todd R. Lewis, Mairi E. Knight, Siddharth Kulkarni, David Pryce, Christopher J. Thorpe, Aparna Watve, Claudia Wierzbicki, Matthew C. Fisher |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Range (biology) Population CONSERVATION 010607 zoology Fejervarya Endangered species 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences WIDESPREAD Critically endangered Western Ghats chytrid amphibians caecilians plateaus chytrid EPIDEMIC DISEASE PATHOGEN education lcsh:Science MOUNTAIN PASSES POPULATION plateaus education.field_of_study Multidisciplinary Science & Technology amphibians biology Ecology Biology (Whole Organism) ANURA Edaphic FROGS RAIN-FOREST BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS biology.organism_classification Biodiversity hotspot Western Ghats Multidisciplinary Sciences Geography Threatened species Science & Technology - Other Topics lcsh:Q caecilians Research Article |
| Zdroj: | Royal Society Open Science, Vol 5, Iss 6 (2018) Royal Society Open Science |
| ISSN: | 2054-5703 |
| Popis: | Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd) is a pathogen killing amphibians worldwide. Its impact across much of Asia is poorly characterized. This study systematically surveyed amphibians forBdacross rocky plateaus in the northern section of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India, including the first surveys of the plateaus in the coastal region. These ecosystems offer an epidemiological model system since they are characterized by differing levels of connectivity, edaphic and climatic conditions, and anthropogenic stressors. One hundred and eighteen individuals of 21 species of Anura and Apoda on 13 plateaus ranging from 67 to 1179 m above sea level and 15.89 to 17.92° North latitude were sampled. Using qPCR protocols, 79% of species and 27% of individuals tested were positive forBd. This is the first record ofBdin caecilians in India, the Critically EndangeredXanthophryne tigerinaand EndangeredFejervarya cf. sahyadris. Mean site prevalence was 28.15%. Prevalence below the escarpment was 31.2% and 25.4% above. The intensity of infection (GE) showed the reverse pattern. Infection may be related to elevational temperature changes, thermal exclusion, inter-site connectivity and anthropogenic disturbance. Coastal plateaus may be thermal refuges fromBd. Infected amphibians represented a wide range of ecological traits posing interesting questions about transmission routes. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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