The two chytrid pathogens of amphibians in Eurasia—climatic niches and future expansion

BMC Ecology and Evolution

Research

Dan Sun¹  Madhava Meegaskumbura¹  Jayampathi Herath¹  Gajaba Ellepola² 

[1] Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, 530000, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China;Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, 530000, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China;Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, 20400, Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka;

关键词: Amphibian decline;    Batrachochytrium;    Climate change;    Disease spread;    Pathogens;    Realized climatic niche;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12862-023-02132-y

 received in 2022-06-17, accepted in 2023-06-12,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundClimate affects the thermal adaptation and distribution of hosts, and drives the spread of Chytridiomycosis—a keratin-associated infectious disease of amphibians caused by the sister pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidi (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal). We focus on their climate-pathogen relationships in Eurasia, the only region where their geographical distributions overlap. Eurasia harbours invaded and native areas of both pathogens and the natural habitats where they co-exist, making it an ideal region to examine their environmental niche correlations. Our understanding of how climate change will affect their distribution is broadened by the differences in climate correlates and niche characteristics between Bd and Bsal in Asia and Europe. This knowledge has potential conservation implications, informing future spread of the disease in different regions.ResultsWe quantified the environmental niche overlap between Bd and Bsal in Eurasia using niche analyses. Results revealed partial overlap in the niche with a unique 4% of non-overlapping values for Bsal, suggesting segregation along certain climate axes. Bd tolerates higher temperature fluctuations, while Bsal requires more stable, lower temperature and wetter conditions. Projections of their Realized Climatic Niches (RCNs) to future conditions show a larger expansion of suitable ranges (SRs) for Bd compared to Bsal in both Asia and Europe, with their centroids shifting in different directions. Notably, both pathogens' highly suitable areas in Asia are expected to shrink significantly, especially under the extreme climate scenarios. In Europe, they are expected to expand significantly.ConclusionsClimate change will impact or increase disease risk to amphibian hosts, particularly in Europe. Given the shared niche space of the two pathogens across available climate gradients, as has already been witnessed in Eurasia with an increased range expansion and niche overlap due to climate change, we expect that regions where Bsal is currently absent but salamanders are present, and where Bd is already prevalent, may be conducive for the spread of Bsal.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

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