Understanding the dynamics and determinants of recovery of a regionally iconic wild food resource following its near-extinction due to infectious dise

山鸡蛙(MCF)是世界上最大的两栖动物之一，是加勒比海多米尼加岛和蒙特塞拉特岛的特有动物。这种标志性的物种传统上一直是当地文化的重要组成部分，在营养方面发挥着重要作用，仅在多米尼加一国，估计每年就有36000只动物被捕获供人类食用。尽管努力避免将BD传入蒙特塞拉特，但BD还是到达了该岛，2009年2月首次发现大规模死亡。BD是两栖动物种群的主要威胁，近几十年来在全球范围内造成了200种两栖动物的灭绝。该病在多米尼加和蒙特塞拉特的感染是一个理想的案例研究，可用来了解由于传染病导致的灾难性衰退后物种恢复的动态和决定因素。该项目具有多学科性质，结合了实验室和实地工作、下一代测序技术、生物信息学和流行病学，以及与参与管理母婴传播剩余人口的利益攸关方的参与。你将在多米尼克与动物研究所和参与母婴传播研究的当地合作伙伴一起进行实地工作。在过去两年和项目过程中，我们将结合过去两年发现的对棘球菌病敏感和耐受的动物组合，对免疫相关基因(例如MHC)和皮肤微生物群(皮肤是成年青蛙唯一感染Bd的组织)进行组合分析，以确定这两种动物之间的差异，这些差异可能与对棘球菌病的抗药性有关。

The Mountain Chicken Frog (MCF) is one of the world's largest amphibians and is endemic to the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat. This iconic species has traditionally been an important part of the local cultures, playing a major role in nutrition with an estimated 36,000 animals harvested annually for human consumption on Dominica alone. However, the emergence of chytridiomycosis due to infection with the fungus, Batrachochytridium dendrobatidis - Bd, in 2002 in Dominica led to the near-extinction of the species on the island. Despite efforts to avoid its introduction to Montserrat, Bd reached that island, with mass mortality first being detected in February 2009. Bd is major threat to amphibian populations, having caused the extinction of >200 amphibian species worldwide in recent decades. The Bd infection of MCF on Dominica and Montserrat is an ideal case study that can be used to understand the dynamics and determinants of species recovery following catastrophic declines due to infectious disease. This project is of a multidisciplinary nature, combining laboratory and field work, next generation sequencing techniques, bioinformatics and epidemiology, as well as engagement with stakeholders involved in the management of remaining populations of MCF. You will carry out field work in Dominica with the Institute of Zoology and local partners involved in MCF research. Using a combination of chytridiomycosis susceptible and tolerant animals identified in the past two years and during the course of the project, a combination of analyses aiming to characterise immune related genes (e.g. MHC) and the skin microbiome (skin is the only tissue infected by Bd in adult frogs) will be carried out to identify differences between the two types of animals that might be related to resistance to the development of chytridiomycosis.