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Drivers of salamander extirpation mediated by Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans.
Journal article

Drivers of salamander extirpation mediated by Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans.

  • Stegen G Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
  • Pasmans F Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
  • Schmidt BR Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Rouffaer LO Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
  • Van Praet S Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
  • Schaub M Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland.
  • Canessa S Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
  • Laudelout A Natagora c/o Mundo-Namur, Rue Nanon 98, 5000 Namur, Belgium.
  • Kinet T Natagora c/o Mundo-Namur, Rue Nanon 98, 5000 Namur, Belgium.
  • Adriaensen C Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
  • Haesebrouck F Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
  • Bert W Nematology Research Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
  • Bossuyt F Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
  • Martel A Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
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  • 2017-04-21
Published in:
  • Nature. - 2017
Animals
Anura
Belgium
Chytridiomycota
Disease Reservoirs
Environmental Monitoring
Female
Introduced Species
Male
Population Dynamics
Sexual Maturation
Spores, Fungal
Urodela
English The recent arrival of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in Europe was followed by rapid expansion of its geographical distribution and host range, confirming the unprecedented threat that this chytrid fungus poses to western Palaearctic amphibians. Mitigating this hazard requires a thorough understanding of the pathogen's disease ecology that is driving the extinction process. Here, we monitored infection, disease and host population dynamics in a Belgian fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) population for two years immediately after the first signs of infection. We show that arrival of this chytrid is associated with rapid population collapse without any sign of recovery, largely due to lack of increased resistance in the surviving salamanders and a demographic shift that prevents compensation for mortality. The pathogen adopts a dual transmission strategy, with environmentally resistant non-motile spores in addition to the motile spores identified in its sister species B. dendrobatidis. The fungus retains its virulence not only in water and soil, but also in anurans and less susceptible urodelan species that function as infection reservoirs. The combined characteristics of the disease ecology suggest that further expansion of this fungus will behave as a 'perfect storm' that is able to rapidly extirpate highly susceptible salamander populations across Europe.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/30227
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