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Persistence with Chytridiomycosis Does Not Assure Survival of Direct-developing Frogs

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Abstract

The chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been linked to extinction and decline of numerous amphibians. We studied the population-level effects of Bd in two post-decline anuran species, Eleutherodactylus coqui and E. portoricensis, at El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. Data on amphibian abundance was updated to report long-term population trends. Mark–recapture data was used to monitor Bd-infection status and estimate survival probabilities of infected versus uninfected adults. Prevalence of Bd (number of infected/total sampled) and individual infection level (number of zoospores) were compared among age classes at Palo Colorado Forest (661 m) and Elfin Forest (850 m). Results revealed that both species continued to decrease in Palo Colorado Forest, while in the Elfin Forest, E. portoricensis recuperated from drastic declines. Age class, season, and locality significantly predicted zoospore load. Age was also significantly associated with high zoospores loads among Bd-positive frogs, and the prevalence of Bd was higher in juveniles than adults in all populations studied. We suggest that early age represents a critical life stage in the survival of direct-developing frogs infected by this fungus. Survival probability was always higher for uninfected frogs, but recapture rates of infected versus uninfected adults were significantly different only in Palo Colorado, alerting that the negative effect of Bd infection under enzootic conditions is greater at mid-elevations. This work contributes to our understanding of how direct-developing amphibians persist with Bd, pointing to critical life stages and synergistic interactions that may induce fluctuations and/or declines in the wild.

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Acknowledgments

Many students in the Joglar/Burrowes Laboratory made this study possible, especially C. A. Rodríguez and A. López who were exceptional in the field. R. L. Joglar shared lab facilities and provided stimulating discussions on E. coqui biology. S. Ward revised earlier versions of this manuscript. We thank S. Ayala and B. Bolaños at MSC-UPR for sharing their laboratory equipment for Bd diagnosis and culture. D. Boyle at CSIRO Australia provided zoospore equivalent standards for qPCR detection of Bd. Financial support was provided by UPR-FIPI, Proyecto Coquí, and NSF-Funded PRLSAMP (Grant no. HRD-0114586) and NSF-Funded CREST-CATEC (Grant no. HRD-0734826) Programs. Amphibian tissues and animals were collected under the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources permit numbers: DRNA 04-IC-003, 04-IC-062, 05-IC-051-052, and 06-IC-039-IC-052.

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  1. Ana V. Longo

    Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, E145 Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

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  1. Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, P.O. Box 70377, San Juan, 00931-0377, Puerto Rico

    Ana V. Longo & Patricia A. Burrowes

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  1. Ana V. Longo
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Correspondence to Ana V. Longo.

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Longo, A.V., Burrowes, P.A. Persistence with Chytridiomycosis Does Not Assure Survival of Direct-developing Frogs. EcoHealth 7, 185–195 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-010-0327-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-010-0327-9

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