Jumping into a trap: high prevalence of chytrid fungus in the preferred microhabitats of a bromeliad-specialist frog.
Dis Aquat Organ
; 121(3): 223-232, 2016 10 27.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27786160
The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been identified as a major threat to several amphibian populations in tropical forests. Amphibians that inhabit the phytotelmata (water tanks) of bromeliads may be especially at risk of Bd infection since the humid, environmentally buffered microhabitat that they prefer might also be favorable for Bd persistence on the host. To test this hypothesis, we sampled adults and tadpoles of the bromeligenous anuran Phyllodytes edelmoi (endemic to the northern Brazilian Atlantic Forest) from the bromeliad Portea leptantha for Bd, using qPCR. We also analyzed 8 bromeliad characteristics: water tank temperature and pH, canopy closure, tank diameter, number of leaves, bromeliad maximum column depth to store water, bromeliad relative volume, and season. Adult frogs preferentially selected bromeliads with a smaller diameter, more leaves and a relatively higher volume of water. We found that Bd was more prevalent in frogs inhabiting bromeliad phytotelmata with smaller diameters, suggesting that the behavioral preferences of P. edelmoi may be driving Bd infection patterns. Therefore, species such as P. edelmoi will be trapped by their own natural history traits.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Anuros
/
Quitridiomicetos
/
Bromeliaceae
Tipo de estudo:
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Dis Aquat Organ
Assunto da revista:
BIOLOGIA
/
MEDICINA VETERINARIA
/
MICROBIOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Brasil
País de publicação:
Alemanha