Immune Defenses against<i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i>, a Fungus Linked to Global Amphibian Declines, in the South African Clawed Frog,<i>Xenopus laevis</i>

Ramsey, Jeremy P.; Reinert, Laura K.; Harper, Laura; Woodhams, Douglas C.; Rollins‐Smith, Louise A.

doi:10.1128/iai.00402-10

Cited by 201 publications

(252 citation statements)

References 73 publications

(114 reference statements)

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“…With respect to Bd and amphibians, previous studies on tadpoles have also documented altered interspecific interactions (Parris and Cornelius 2004), predator-prey dynamics (Parris et al 2006), and foraging behavior (Venesky et al 2009). In addition, previous studies have identified an effect of Bd on body condition and weight change in post-metamorphic frogs (Carey et al 2006;Retallick and Miera 2007;Ramsey et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Fitness Consequences of Infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)

et al. 2013

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The amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been linked to amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide. The pathogen has been found on amphibians throughout eastern North America, but has not been associated with mass die-offs in this region. In this study, we conducted laboratory experiments on the effects of Bd infection in a putative carrier species, Lithobates pipiens, using two estimators of fitness: jumping performance and testes morphology. Over the 8-week study period, peak acceleration during jumping was not significantly different between infected and uninfected animals. Peak velocity, however, was significantly lower for infected animals after 8 weeks. Two measures of sperm production, germinal epithelium depth, and maximum spermatic cyst diameter, showed no difference between infected and uninfected animals. The width, but not length, of testes of infected animals was significantly greater than in uninfected animals. This study is the first to show effects on whole-organism performance of Bd infection in post-metamorphic amphibians, and may have important long-term, evolutionary implications for amphibian populations co-existing with Bd infection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Fitness Consequences of Infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)

et al. 2013

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“…However, like that of mammals, amphibian skin is keratinized (1). One report has shown the presence of IgY, IgX, and IgM in skin mucus of frog (37). Whether IgX represents the prevalent skin mucosal Ig in amphibians remains to be determined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teleost skin, an ancient mucosal surface that elicits gut-like immune responses

Parra

Gómez

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

413

334

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Skin homeostasis is critical to preserve animal integrity. Although the skin of most vertebrates is known to contain a skin-associated lymphoid tissue (SALT), very little is known about skin B-cell responses as well as their evolutionary origins. Teleost fish represent the most ancient bony vertebrates containing a SALT. Due to its lack of keratinization, teleost skin possesses living epithelial cells in direct contact with the water medium. Interestingly, teleost SALT structurally resembles that of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, and it possesses a diverse microbiota. Thus, we hypothesized that, because teleost SALT and gut-associated lymphoid tissue have probably been subjected to similar evolutionary selective forces, their B-cell responses would be analogous. Confirming this hypothesis, we show that IgT, a teleost immunoglobulin specialized in gut immunity, plays the prevailing role in skin mucosal immunity. We found that IgT + B cells represent the major B-cell subset in the skin epidermis and that IgT is mainly present in polymeric form in the skin mucus. Critically, we found that the majority of the skin microbiota are coated with IgT. Moreover, IgT responses against a skin parasite were mainly limited to the skin whereas IgM responses were almost exclusively detected in the serum. Strikingly, we found that the teleost skin mucosa showed key features of mammalian mucosal surfaces exhibiting a mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. Thus, from an evolutionary viewpoint, our findings suggest that, regardless of their phylogenetic origin and tissue localization, the chief immunoglobulins of all mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue operate under the guidance of primordially conserved principles.evolution | mucosal immunoglobulin | Ichthyophthirius multifiliis | cutaneous

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“…First, the reduced susceptibility of frogs from persistent populations could be an outcome of natural selection (36) on R. sierrae that occurred after the arrival of Bd in Yosemite's frog populations, selection to which the naïve frog populations would not have been subject. For example, if the initial invasion of Bd into Yosemite decades ago resulted in high levels of frog mortality, then the remaining populations may be descendants of individuals that possessed more effective innate or adaptive defenses against Bd (35,37). Second, the lower susceptibility could be the result of an acquired immune response in frogs from persistent populations after their exposure to Bd in the wild, a response that itself could be subject to natural selection.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, a change in frog-Bd dynamics since Bd's arrival could be an important driver of frog population increases. For example, evolutionary and immunological changes in frogs in response to Bd may have reduced their susceptibility (35,36). We conducted a laboratory experiment to test the hypothesis that R. sierrae from populations with a long history of exposure to Bd that are persisting, despite ongoing Bd infection (such as those in Yosemite), are less susceptible than those from populations in which frogs have never been exposed to Bd.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-scale recovery of an endangered amphibian despite ongoing exposure to multiple stressors

Knapp¹,

Fellers

Kleeman

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

129

128

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Amphibians are one of the most threatened animal groups, with 32% of species at risk for extinction. Given this imperiled status, is the disappearance of a large fraction of the Earth's amphibians inevitable, or are some declining species more resilient than is generally assumed? We address this question in a species that is emblematic of many declining amphibians, the endangered Sierra Nevada yellowlegged frog (Rana sierrae). Based on >7,000 frog surveys conducted across Yosemite National Park over a 20-y period, we show that, after decades of decline and despite ongoing exposure to multiple stressors, including introduced fish, the recently emerged disease chytridiomycosis, and pesticides, R. sierrae abundance increased sevenfold during the study and at a rate of 11% per year. These increases occurred in hundreds of populations throughout Yosemite, providing a rare example of amphibian recovery at an ecologically relevant spatial scale. Results from a laboratory experiment indicate that these increases may be in part because of reduced frog susceptibility to chytridiomycosis. The disappearance of nonnative fish from numerous water bodies after cessation of stocking also contributed to the recovery. The large-scale increases in R. sierrae abundance that we document suggest that, when habitats are relatively intact and stressors are reduced in their importance by active management or species' adaptive responses, declines of some amphibians may be partially reversible, at least at a regional scale. Other studies conducted over similarly large temporal and spatial scales are critically needed to provide insight and generality about the reversibility of amphibian declines at a global scale.amphibians | recovery | disease | Rana sierrae | Yosemite

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Immune Defenses againstBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a Fungus Linked to Global Amphibian Declines, in the South African Clawed Frog,Xenopus laevis

Cited by 201 publications

References 73 publications

Fitness Consequences of Infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)

Fitness Consequences of Infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)

Teleost skin, an ancient mucosal surface that elicits gut-like immune responses

Large-scale recovery of an endangered amphibian despite ongoing exposure to multiple stressors

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