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DiRenzo GV, Che-Castaldo C, Rugenski A, Brenes R, Whiles MR, Pringle CM, Kilham SS, Lips KR. Disassembly of a tadpole community by a multi-host fungal pathogen with limited evidence of recovery. Ecol Appl 2017; 27:309-320. [PMID: 28052493 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases can cause host community disassembly, but the mechanisms driving the order of species declines and extirpations following a disease outbreak are unclear. We documented the community disassembly of a Neotropical tadpole community during a chytridiomycosis outbreak, triggered by the generalist fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Within the first 11 months of Bd arrival, tadpole density and occupancy rapidly declined. Species rarity, in terms of tadpole occupancy and adult relative abundance, did not predict the odds of tadpole occupancy declines. But species losses were taxonomically selective, with glassfrogs (Family: Centrolenidae) disappearing the fastest and tree frogs (Family: Hylidae) and dart-poison frogs (Family: Dendrobatidae) remaining the longest. We detected biotic homogenization of tadpole communities, with post-decline communities resembling one another more strongly than pre-decline communities. The entire tadpole community was extirpated within 22 months following Bd arrival, and we found limited signs of recovery within 10 years post-outbreak. Because of imperfect species detection inherent to sampling species-rich tropical communities and the difficulty of devising a single study design protocol to sample physically complex tropical habitats, we used simulations to provide recommendations for future surveys to adequately sample diverse Neotropical communities. Our unique data set on tadpole community composition before and after Bd arrival is a valuable baseline for assessing amphibian recovery. Our results are of direct relevance to conservation managers and community ecologists interested in understanding the timing, magnitude, and consequences of disease outbreaks as emerging infectious diseases spread globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graziella V DiRenzo
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20744, USA
| | | | - Amanda Rugenski
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281, USA
| | - Roberto Brenes
- Department of Biology, Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisconsin, 53186, USA
| | - Matt R Whiles
- Department of Zoology and Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, 62901, USA
| | | | - Susan S Kilham
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, USA
| | - Karen R Lips
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20744, USA
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Capps KA, Atkinson CL, Rugenski A, Baxter C, Boersma KS, Carey CC, McIntyre PB, Moore JW, Nowlin WH, Vaughn CC. Organized Oral Session 44: Impacts of Species Addition and Species Loss on Ecosystem Function in Freshwater Systems. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1890/0012-9623-93.4.402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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