Inter-Research > DAO > v137 > n2 > p159-165  
DAO
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

via Mailchimp

DAO 137:159-165 (2020)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03430

NOTE
Amphibian chytrid prevalence on boreal toads in SE Alaska and NW British Columbia: tests of habitat, life stages, and temporal trends

Blake R. Hossack1,*, Michael J. Adams2, R. Ken Honeycutt1,3, Jami J. Belt4, Sanjay Pyare5

1US Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Missoula, MT 59801, USA
2US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
3Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Laramie, WY 82070, USA
4National Park Service, Glacier National Park, West Glacier, MT 59936, USA
5Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: Tracking and understanding variation in pathogens such as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the agent of amphibian chytridiomycosis which has caused population declines globally, is a priority for many land managers. However, relatively little sampling of amphibian communities has occurred at high latitudes. We used skin swabs collected during 2005-2017 from boreal toads Anaxyrus boreas (n = 248), in southeast Alaska (USA; primarily in and near Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park [KLGO]) and northwest British Columbia (Canada) to determine how Bd prevalence varied across life stages, habitat characteristics, local species richness, and time. Across all years, Bd prevalence peaked in June and was >3 times greater for adult toads (37.5%) vs. juveniles and metamorphs (11.2%). Bd prevalence for toads in the KLGO area, where other amphibian species are rare or absent, was highest from river habitats (55.0%), followed by human-modified upland wetlands (32.3%) and natural upland wetlands (12.7%)—the same rank-order these habitats are used for toad breeding. None of the 12 Columbia spotted frogs Rana luteiventris or 2 wood frogs R. sylvatica from the study area tested Bd-positive, although all were from an area of low host density where Bd has not been detected. Prevalence of Bd on toads in the KLGO area decreased during 2005-2015. This trend from a largely single-species system may be encouraging or concerning, depending on how Bd is affecting vital rates, and emphasizes the need to understand effects of pathogens before translating disease prevalence into management actions.


KEY WORDS: Disease · Chytridiomycosis · Habitat · Stream · Isolation · Community · Species richness · National Park


Full text in pdf format
Cite this article as: Hossack BR, Adams MJ, Honeycutt RK, Belt JJ, Pyare S (2020) Amphibian chytrid prevalence on boreal toads in SE Alaska and NW British Columbia: tests of habitat, life stages, and temporal trends. Dis Aquat Org 137:159-165. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03430

Export citation
Share:    Facebook - - linkedIn

 Previous article