Site- and individual-level contaminations affect infection prevalence of an emerging infectious disease of amphibians
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
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- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Data Release: USGS data release - Current use pesticides in larval amphibian tissues, amphibian pathogen and wetland sediment screening data from three northeastern National Wildlife Refuges, 2013-2014
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Abstract
Emerging infectious disease outbreaks are one of multiple stressors responsible for amphibian declines globally. In the northeastern United States, ranaviral diseases are prevalent in amphibians and other ectothermic species, but there is still uncertainty as to whether their presence is leading to population level effects. Further, there is also uncertainty surrounding the potential interactions among disease infection prevalence in free-ranging animals and habitat degradation (co-occurrence of chemical stressors). The current study was designed to provide field-based estimates of the relationship between amphibian disease and chemical stressors. We visited 40 wetlands across three protected areas, estimated the prevalence of ranavirus among populations of larval wood frogs and spotted salamanders, and assessed chemical and biological stressors in wetland habitats and larval amphibians using a suite of selected bioassays, screening tools and chemical analyses. Estimated ranavirus occupancy varied among the three protected areas and ranged from 0.27 to 0.55 with considerable variation within each protected area. Of the stressors evaluated, ranavirus prevalence was strongly and positively related to concentrations of metalloestrogens (metals with the potential to bind to estrogen receptors) and total metals in wetland sediments and weakly and negatively related to total pesticide concentrations in larval amphibians. These results can be used by land managers to refine habitat assessments to include such environmental factors with the potential to influence disease susceptibility.
Suggested Citation
Smalling, K., Mosher, B.A., Iwanowicz, L., Loftin, K.A., Boehlke, A., Hladik, M.L., Muletz-Wolz, C., Cortes-Rodriguez, N., Femmer, R., and Campbell Grant, E.H., 2022, Site- and individual-level contaminations affect infection prevalence of an emerging infectious disease of amphibians: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, v. 41, no. 3, p. 781-791, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5291.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Site- and individual-level contaminations affect infection prevalence of an emerging infectious disease of amphibians |
| Series title | Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry |
| DOI | 10.1002/etc.5291 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication Date | January 18, 2022 |
| Year Published | 2022 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | California Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center |
| Description | 11 p. |
| First page | 781 |
| Last page | 791 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland, Massachusetts |
| City | Washington, D. C. |
| Other Geospatial | Assabett River National Wildlife Refuge, Chesapeake National Historic Park, Ohio Canal National Historic Park, Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, Patuxent Research Refuge |