scholarly journals Habitat fragmentation in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest is associated with erosion of frog immunogenetic diversity and increased fungal infections

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat Belasen ◽  
Kevin Amses ◽  
Rebecca Clemons ◽  
Guilherme Becker ◽  
Felipe Toledo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Genetic Erosion ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Mhc Iib

Habitat fragmentation and infectious disease threaten amphibians globally, but little is known about how these two threats interact. In this study, we examined the effects of Brazilian Atlantic Forest habitat fragmentation on frog genetic diversity at an immune locus known to affect disease susceptibility in amphibians, the MHC IIB locus. We used a custom high-throughput assay to sequence the MHC IIB locus across six focal frog species in two regions of the Atlantic Forest. We also used a molecular assay to quantify infections by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). We found that habitat fragmentation is associated with genetic erosion at the MHC IIB locus, and that this erosion is most severe in frog species restricted to intact forests. Significant Bd infections were recovered only in one Atlantic Forest region, potentially due to the relatively higher elevation. In this region, forest specialists showed an increase in both Bd prevalence and loads in fragmented habitats. We also found that reduced population-level MHC IIB diversity was associated with increased Bd infection risk. On the individual-level, MHC IIB heterozygotes (by allelic genotype as well as supertype) exhibited a reduced risk of Bd infection. Our results suggest that habitat fragmentation increases infection susceptibility in amphibians, mediated at least in part through loss of immunogenetic diversity. Our findings have implications for the conservation of fragmented populations in the face of emerging infectious diseases.

Biotic and abiotic determinants of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infections in amphibians of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 100995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Lambertini ◽  
C. Guilherme Becker ◽  
Anat M. Belasen ◽  
Anyelet Valencia-Aguilar ◽  
Carlos Henrique L. Nunes-de-Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest

scholarly journals Habitat fragmentation affects individual condition: evidence from small mammals of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 936-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Cláudia Delciellos ◽  
Camila dos Santos de Barros ◽  
Jayme Augusto Prevedello ◽  
Mariana Silva Ferreira ◽  
Rui Cerqueira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Individual Condition

scholarly journals Amphibians with infectious disease increase their reproductive effort: evidence for the terminal investment hypothesis

Open Biology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 150251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Brannelly ◽  
Rebecca Webb ◽  
Lee F. Skerratt ◽  
Lee Berger
Keyword(s):  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Life History Trait ◽  
Terminal Investment ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Declining Species ◽  
Investment Hypothesis

Mounting an immune response to fight disease is costly for an organism and can reduce investment in another life-history trait, such as reproduction. The terminal investment hypothesis predicts that an organism will increase reproductive effort when threatened by disease. The reproductive fitness of amphibians infected with the deadly fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Bd ) is largely unknown. In this study, we explored gametogenesis in two endangered and susceptible frog species, Pseudophryne corroboree and Litoria verreauxii alpina. Gametogenesis, both oogenesis and spermatogenesis, increased when animals were experimentally infected with Bd . In P. corroboree , infected males have thicker germinal epithelium, and a larger proportion of spermatocytes. In L. v. alpina , infected males had more spermatic cell bundles in total, and a larger proportion of spermatozoa bundles. In female L. v. alpina , ovaries and oviducts were larger in infected animals, and there were more cells present within the ovaries. Terminal investment has consequences for the evolution of disease resistance in declining species. If infected animals are increasing reproductive efforts and producing more offspring before succumbing to disease, it is possible that population-level selection for disease resistance will be minimized.

The effect of habitat fragmentation on the scorpion assemblage of a Brazilian Atlantic Forest

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
André F. A. Lira ◽  
Victor L. N. de Araújo ◽  
Adriano M. DeSouza ◽  
Felipe N. A. A. Rego ◽  
Cleide M. R. Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Effects of habitat fragmentation on ant richness and functional composition in Brazilian Atlantic forest

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1687-1701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inara R. Leal ◽  
Bruno K. C. Filgueiras ◽  
Juliana P. Gomes ◽  
Luciana Iannuzzi ◽  
Alan N. Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Functional Composition

scholarly journals Local extinction of Scinax caldarum, a treefrog in Brazil’s Atlantic forest

2019 ◽  
pp. 295-298
Author(s):  
Lucas Ferrante
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Sugar Cane ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Local Extinction ◽  
Tree Frog ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Environmental Certification ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Main Factor

Here we report the local extinction of Scinax caldarum, an endemic tree frog species of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We also report a reduction of the geographic range of this species to less than 15 % of the area in which it occurred 27 years earlier. We consider the excessive use of agrochemicals to be the main factor explaining the decline, including in farms with environmental certification. The local extinction of S. caldarum is a bioindicator of the severe impact of crops such as coffee and sugar cane, which heavily rely on agrochemicals. Stricter regulation of pesticides is needed to avoid damage to ecosystems and loss of biodiversity.

scholarly journals The influence of anthropogenic habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure and diversity of the malaria vector Anopheles cruzii (Diptera: Culicidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Cristina Multini ◽  
Ana Letícia da Silva de Souza ◽  
Mauro Toledo Marrelli ◽  
André Barretto Bruno Wilke
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Anthropogenic Changes ◽  
Anthropogenic Habitat ◽  
Genetic Diversity And Structure ◽  
Genetic Structure And Diversity ◽  
Anopheles Cruzii

Abstract Fragmentation of natural environments as a result of human interference has been associated with a decrease in species richness and increase in abundance of a few species that have adapted to these environments. The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, which has been undergoing an intense process of fragmentation and deforestation caused by human-made changes to the environment, is an important hotspot for malaria transmission. The main vector of simian and human malaria in this biome is the mosquito Anopheles cruzii. Anthropogenic processes reduce the availability of natural resources at the tree canopies, An. cruzii primary habitat. As a consequence, An. cruzii moves to the border of the Atlantic Forest nearing urban areas seeking resources, increasing their contact with humans in the process. We hypothesized that different levels of anthropogenic changes to the environment can be an important factor in driving the genetic structure and diversity in An. cruzii populations. Five different hypotheses using a cross-sectional and a longitudinal design were tested to assess genetic structure in sympatric An. cruzii populations and microevolutionary processes driving these populations. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were used to assess microgeographic genetic structure in An. cruzii populations in a low-endemicity area in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Our results show an overall weak genetic structure among the populations, indicating a high gene flow system. However, our results also pointed to the presence of significant genetic structure between sympatric An. cruzii populations collected at ground and tree-canopy habitats in the urban environment and higher genetic variation in the ground-level population. This indicates that anthropogenic modifications leading to habitat fragmentation and a higher genetic diversity and structure in ground-level populations could be driving the behavior of An. cruzii, ultimately increasing its contact with humans. Understanding how anthropogenic changes in natural areas affect An. cruzii is essential for the development of more effective mosquito control strategies and, on a broader scale, for malaria-elimination efforts in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

scholarly journals Mammals recorded in isolated remnants of Atlantic Forest in southern Goiás, Brazil

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Analice Calaça ◽  
Marluci Fachi ◽  
Diego Afonso Silva ◽  
Seixas Rezende Oliveira ◽  
Fabiano Rodrigues de Melo
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Camera Trapping ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Cerrado Savanna

Abstract: Habitat fragmentation is one of the principal causes of the decline of species worldwide, and the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Cerrado savanna biomes are among the most severely affected by this process. While highly fragmented, remnants of Atlantic Forest can still be found within the Cerrado domain of southern Goiás, where previous studies have revealed high levels of biodiversity. To inventory the mammalian species that occur in the region, two fragments of semideciduous Atlantic Forest were sampled between 2011 and 2016, using line transect surveys and camera trapping. A total of 1016 records were obtained of 30 mammal species, of which eleven are under some threat of extinction. The species richness recorded on this study was similar to or higher than the values reported from other areas of Goiás, which reinforces the importance of the maintenance of these remnants, located in private properties, for the conservation of the region's mammals.

scholarly journals Notes on vocalizations of Brazilian amphibians IV: advertisement calls of 20 Atlantic Forest frog species

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Rodriguez Forti ◽  
Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad ◽  
Felipe Leite ◽  
Leandro de Oliveira Drummond ◽  
Clodoaldo de Assis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Advertisement Calls ◽  
Call Structure ◽  
Biodiversity Research ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Acoustic Analyses ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Species Taxonomy

Bioacoustics is a powerful tool used for anuran species diagnoses, given that advertisement calls are signals related to specific recognition and mate attraction. Thus, call descriptions can support species taxonomy. In spite of that, call descriptions are lacking for many species, delaying advances in biodiversity research. Here, we describe the advertisement calls of 20 anuran species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We accessed 50 digital recordings deposited in the Fonoteca Neotropical Jacques Vielliard. Acoustic analyses were carried out in the software Raven pro 1.5. We provide a general comparison of call structure among species inside taxonomic groups and genera. The vocalizations described here belong to poorly known species, which are representatives of six families: Brachycephalidae, Bufonidae, Ceratophryidae, Cycloramphidae, Hylidae, and Phyllomedusidae. Despite this, still there are 163 species of anurans from Atlantic Forest with calls not formally described. Our work represents an important step in providing data for a taxonomic perspective and improving the knowledge of the Atlantic Forest anuran diversity.

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