Low Prevalence of Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in Amphibians of U.S. Headwater Streams
Hossack BR, Adams MJ, Campbell Grant EH, Pearl CA, Bettaso JB, Barichivich WJ, Lowe WH, True K, Ware JL, Corn PS. 2010. Low Prevalence of Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in Amphibians of U.S. Headwater Streams. Journal of Herpetology. 44(2):253-260
Investigation of fungal disease potentially affecting amphibians in headwater streams of the USA. Many declines of amphibian populations have been associated with chytridiomycosis, adisease caused by the aquatic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Despite the relatively high prevalence of chytridiomycosis in stream amphibians globally, most surveys in North America have focused primarily on wetland-associated species, which are frequently infected. Investigators sampled 452 tailed frogs (Ascaphus truei and Ascaphus montanus) and 304 stream salamanders (seven species in the Dicamptodontidae and Plethodontidae) for Bd in 38, first- to third-order streams in five montane areas across the USA, testing for presence of Bd by using PCR on skin swabs from salamanders and metamorphosed tailed frogs or the oral disc of frog larvae. Detected Bd on only seven individuals (0.93%) in four streams. Based on this study and results from five other studies that have sampled headwater- or seep-associated amphibians in the United States, Bd has been detected on only 3% of 1,322 individuals from 21 species. These results differ strongly from surveys in Central America and Australia, where Bd is more prevalent on stream-breeding species, as well as results from wetland-associated anurans in the same regions of the United States that we sampled. Differences in the prevalence of Bd between stream- and wetland-associated amphibians in the United States may be related to species-specific variation in susceptibility to chytridiomycosis or habitat differences.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Hossack, Blake; Adams, Michael; Campbell Grant, Evan; Pearl, Christopher; Bettaso, James; Barichivich, William; Lowe, Winsor; True, Kimberly; Ware, Joy; Corn, Paul
- Units
- GLAC , GRSM
- Keywords
- Amphibian Decline, Amphibians, Animal Studies, Ascaphus montanus, Ascaphus truei, Disease, GRSM-00831, Tailed frog