Cryptic Diversity of a Widespread Global Pathogen Reveals Expanded Threats to Amphibian Conservation

Authors

• Allison Q. Byrne, University of California, Berkeley
• Vance T. Vrendenburg, San Francisco State University
• An Martel, Ghent University
• Frank Pasmans, Ghent University
• Rayna C. Bell, Smithsonian Insitutition
• David C. Blackburn, University of Florida
• Molly C. Bletz, University of Massachusetts, Boston
• Jaime Bosch, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)
• Cheryl J. Briggs, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Rafe M. Brown, University of Kansas
• Alessandro Catenazzi, Florida National University
• Mariel Familiar Lopez, Griffith University
• Raul Figueroa-Valenzuela, San Francisco State University
• Sonia L. Ghose, University of California, Davis
• Jef R. Jaeger, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
• Andrea J. Jani, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
• Miloslav Jirku, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Roland A. Knapp, University of California, Mammoth Lakes
• Antonio Munoz, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur
• Daniel M. Portik, University of Arizona, Tucson
• Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki, University of Pittsburgh
• Heidi Rockney, Oregon State University
• Sean M. Rovito, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional
• Tariq Stark, Reptile, Amphibian, and Fish Conservation
• Hasan Sulaeman, San Francisco State University
• Nguyen Thien Tao, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology
• Jamie Voyles, University of Nevada, Reno
• Anthony W. Waddle, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Zhiyong Yuan, Southwest Forestry University
• Erica Bree Rosenblum, University of California, BerkeleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-23-2019

Publication Title

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Volume

116

Issue

41

First page number:

20382

Last page number:

20387

Abstract

Biodiversity loss is one major outcome of human-mediated ecosystem disturbance. One way that humans have triggered wildlife declines is by transporting disease-causing agents to remote areas of the world. Amphibians have been hit particularly hard by disease due in part to a globally distributed pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd]). Prior research has revealed important insights into the biology and distribution of Bd; however, there are still many outstanding questions in this system. Although we know that there are multiple divergent lineages of Bd that differ in pathogenicity, we know little about how these lineages are distributed around the world and where lineages may be coming into contact. Here, we implement a custom genotyping method for a global set of Bd samples. This method is optimized to amplify and sequence degraded DNA from noninvasive skin swab samples. We describe a divergent lineage of Bd, which we call BdASIA3, that appears to be widespread in Southeast Asia. This lineage co-occurs with the global panzootic lineage (BdGPL) in multiple localities. Additionally, we shed light on the global distribution of BdGPL and highlight the expanded range of another lineage, BdCAPE. Finally, we argue that more monitoring needs to take place where Bd lineages are coming into contact and where we know little about Bd lineage diversity. Monitoring need not use expensive or difficult field techniques but can use archived swab samples to further explore the history—and predict the future impacts—of this devastating pathogen.

Keywords

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; Amphibian; Conservation; Genetic; Monitoring

Disciplines

Animal Sciences | Natural Resources and Conservation

Language

English

Repository Citation

Byrne, A. Q., Vrendenburg, V. T., Martel, A., Pasmans, F., Bell, R. C., Blackburn, D. C., Bletz, M. C., Bosch, J., Briggs, C. J., Brown, R. M., Catenazzi, A., Familiar Lopez, M., Figueroa-Valenzuela, R., Ghose, S. L., Jaeger, J. R., Jani, A. J., Jirku, M., Knapp, R. A., Munoz, A., Portik, D. M., Richards-Zawacki, C. L., Rockney, H., Rovito, S. M., Stark, T., Sulaeman, H., Tao, N. T., Voyles, J., Waddle, A. W., Yuan, Z., Rosenblum, E. B. (2019). Cryptic Diversity of a Widespread Global Pathogen Reveals Expanded Threats to Amphibian Conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(41), 20382-20387.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1908289116