Quantifying the population-level cost of amphibian chytridiomycosis in a changing montane ecosystem

量化不断变化的山地生态系统中两栖动物壶菌病的人口水平成本

• 批准号: NE/H017666/1
• 负责人: Matthew Fisher
• 金额: $ 11.11万
• 依托单位: Imperial College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Training Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2010 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FH017666%2F1
• 关键词: Quantifying; population; level; cost; amphibian

Background The emerging panzootic of amphibian chytridiomycosis has had profound deleterious effects on communities and ecosystems in many areas of the world. Our research has shown that Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is being widely introduced across Europe. However, we do not yet have the data to ascertain the effects of these introductions on the diversity and dynamics of naïve, and native, amphibian species and communities across short, and medium-length, timescales. Study System This study will make use of an Iberian dataset that we have been collecting since 2003. We have surveyed midwive toads (Alytes obstetricans) in 126 sites, and have identified 31 where infection occurs. Most notably, this survey has shown that Bd has been introduced into a small region of the western Pyrenees. Within this region, we have been tracking infection in detail since 2007 by collecting prevalence, pathogen genotypes, and mortality data. The student will be able to use this dataset to evaluate hypotheses about the relative roles of biotic and abiotic drivers in modulating the host-pathogen dynamic between asymptomatic and symptomatic infection. By building upon our previous work, the student will have the opportunity to match infected and uninfected lakes that span a wide range of altitude. At the same time, they will have access to fine-grain meteorological variables as well as mortality data for infected lakes. This will allow the student to measure the amount of mortality that is attributable to Bd-infection across spatial and temporal scales. Analysis of the covariates (biotic and abiotic) will be used to model the relative viability of infected versus uninfected populations, and our understanding of how climate-change will effect these mountains will be used to develop future predictions. The project partner (ZSL) has a history of working on Bd that goes back to the original discovery of the pathogen, and whom have a global-outreach program in mitigating the effects of chytridiomycosis. The collaborators (CNRS) have a key role in studying the emergence of Bd in the Pyrenees and are key partners in RACE (Risk Assessment of Chytridiomycosis to European amphibian biodiversity). This project builds upon a strong working relationship between TWJG and MCF that has yielded 15 publications and a current co-held NERC grant. They also co-supervise a NERC student on the genetics and virulence of Bd, whose findings will be integrated into this PhD project.

背景 新出现的两栖动物壶菌病对世界许多地区的社区和生态系统产生了深远的有害影响。我们的研究表明，Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) 正在欧洲广泛引入。然而，我们还没有数据来确定这些引入对幼稚和本地两栖动物物种和群落在短期和中期时间尺度上的多样性和动态的影响。研究系统 这项研究将利用我们自 2003 年以来收集的伊比利亚数据集。我们对 126 个地点的助产士蟾蜍 (Alytes obstetricans) 进行了调查，并确定了 31 个发生感染的地点。最值得注意的是，这项调查表明 Bd 已被引入比利牛斯山脉西部的一个小地区。自 2007 年以来，我们一直在通过收集患病率、病原体基因型和死亡率数据来详细跟踪该地区的感染情况。学生将能够使用该数据集来评估有关生物和非生物驱动因素在调节无症状和有症状感染之间的宿主-病原体动态方面的相对作用的假设。通过我们之前的工作，学生将有机会匹配跨越各种海拔的受感染和未受感染的湖泊。与此同时，他们将可以获得细粒度的气象变量以及受感染湖泊的死亡率数据。这将使学生能够在空间和时间尺度上测量 Bd 感染造成的死亡率。对协变量（生物和非生物）的分析将用于模拟感染人群与未感染人群的相对生存能力，而我们对气候变化将如何影响这些山脉的理解将用于制定未来的预测。项目合作伙伴 (ZSL) 在 Bd 方面的工作历史可以追溯到病原体的最初发现，并且制定了减轻壶菌病影响的全球推广计划。合作者 (CNRS) 在研究比利牛斯山脉 Bd 的出现方面发挥着关键作用，并且是 RACE（壶菌病对欧洲两栖动物生物多样性的风险评估）的关键合作伙伴。该项目建立在 TWJG 和 MCF 之间牢固的工作关系基础上，已发表 15 篇出版物，并目前共同持有 NERC 拨款。他们还共同指导一名 NERC 学生研究 Bd 的遗传学和毒力，其研究结果将纳入该博士项目。