Emerging fungal threats to animal, plant and ecosystem health

Fisher, Matthew C.; Henk, Daniel A.; Briggs, Cheryl J.; Brownstein, John S.; Madoff, Lawrence C.; McCraw, Sarah; Gurr, Sarah J.

doi:10.1038/nature10947

Cited by 2,530 publications

(2,026 citation statements)

References 98 publications

(116 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

1,983

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, given the recent global spread of fungal pathogens (Fisher et al . 2012), thermoregulatory behaviours are likely to play increasingly important roles in defending against these threats. Wild populations are also regularly under the threat of pathogenic exposure, and this can be variable in both the type of pathogen present and their virulence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold‐seeking behaviour mitigates reproductive losses from fungal infection in Drosophila

Hunt

Zhong

McClure

et al. 2015

Journal of Animal Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Animals must tailor their life‐history strategies to suit the prevailing conditions and respond to hazards in the environment. Animals with lethal infections are faced with a difficult choice: to allocate more resources to reproduction and suffer higher mortality or to reduce reproduction with the expectation of enhanced immunity and late‐age reproduction. However, the strategies employed to mediate shifts in life‐history traits are largely unknown.Here, we investigate the temperature preference of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, during infection with the fungal pathogen, Metarhizium robertsii, and the consequence of temperature preference on life‐history traits.We have measured the temperature preference of fruit flies under different pathogen conditions. We conducted multiple fitness assays of the host and the pathogen under different thermal conditions. From these data, we estimated standard measures of fitness and used age‐specific methodologies to test for the fitness trade‐offs that are thought to underlie differences in life‐history strategy.We found that fungus‐infected fruit flies seek out cooler temperatures, which facilitates an adaptive shift in their life‐history strategy. The colder temperatures preferred by infected animals were detrimental to the pathogen because it increased resistance to infection. But, it did not provide net benefits that were specific to infected animals, as cooler temperatures increased lifetime reproductive success and survival whether or not the animals were infected. Instead, we find that cold‐seeking benefits infected animals by increasing their late‐age reproductive output, at a cost to their early‐age reproductive output. In contrast, naive control flies prefer warmer temperatures that optimize early‐age reproductive, at a cost to reproductive output at late ages.These findings show that infected animals exhibit fundamentally different reproductive strategies than their healthy counterparts. Temperature preference can facilitate shifts in strategy, but not without inevitable trade‐offs.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold‐seeking behaviour mitigates reproductive losses from fungal infection in Drosophila

Hunt

Zhong

McClure

et al. 2015

Journal of Animal Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Fisher et al 2012; Burge et al 2013). Heterotrophic fungal endoliths comprise a group which contains parasites and which can cause diseases in corals.…”

Section: General Comments/conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the past three decades, the prevalence and the rate of transmission of emerging infectious diseases, and the frequency of epizootics increased significantly in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, primarily due to social, demographic and environmental transformations (Wilcox and Gubler 2005; Fisher et al 2012; Burge et al 2013). It is extremely important to thoroughly understand host–parasite interactions in these times of environmental and climate change so that better management practices for preserving both wild and cultivated species and species diversity can be designed and implemented.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The roles of endolithic fungi in bioerosion and disease in marine ecosystems. I. General concepts

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Endolithic true fungi and fungus-like microorganisms penetrate calcareous substrates formed by living organisms, cause significant bioerosion and are involved in diseases of many host animals in marine ecosystems. A theoretical interactive model for the ecology of reef-building corals is proposed in this review. This model includes five principle partners that exist in a dynamic equilibrium: polyps of a colonial coelenterate, endosymbiotic zooxanthellae, endolithic algae (that penetrate coral skeletons), endolithic fungi (that attack the endolithic algae, the zooxanthellae and the polyps) and prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms (which live in the coral mucus). Endolithic fungi and fungus-like boring microorganisms are important components of the marine calcium carbonate cycle because they actively contribute to the biodegradation of shells of animals composed of calcium carbonate and calcareous geological substrates.

show abstract

“…Fisher et al 2012; Burge et al 2013). Heterotrophic endoliths including fungi are one group of parasites which can cause diseases in corals.…”

Section: General Comments/conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The roles of endolithic fungi in bioerosion and disease in marine ecosystems. II. Potential facultatively parasitic anamorphic ascomycetes can cause disease in corals and molluscs

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anamorphic ascomycetes have been implicated as causative agents of diseases in tissues and skeletons of hard corals, in tissues of soft corals (sea fans) and in tissues and shells of molluscs. Opportunist marine fungal pathogens, such as Aspergillus sydowii, are important components of marine mycoplankton and are ubiquitous in the open oceans, intertidal zones and marine sediments. These fungi can cause infection in or at least can be associated with animals which live in these ecosystems. A. sydowii can produce toxins which inhibit photosynthesis in and the growth of coral zooxanthellae. The prevalence of many documented infections has increased in frequency and severity in recent decades with the changing impacts of physical and chemical factors, such as temperature, acidity and eutrophication. Changes in these factors are thought to cause significant loss of biodiversity in marine ecosystems on a global scale in general, and especially in coral reefs and shallow bays.

show abstract

Emerging fungal threats to animal, plant and ecosystem health

Cited by 2,530 publications

References 98 publications

Cold‐seeking behaviour mitigates reproductive losses from fungal infection in Drosophila

Cold‐seeking behaviour mitigates reproductive losses from fungal infection in Drosophila

The roles of endolithic fungi in bioerosion and disease in marine ecosystems. I. General concepts

The roles of endolithic fungi in bioerosion and disease in marine ecosystems. II. Potential facultatively parasitic anamorphic ascomycetes can cause disease in corals and molluscs

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About