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High Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Wild Populations of Lowland Leopard Frogs Rana yavapaiensis in Arizona

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Abstract

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a fungus that can potentially lead to chytridiomycosis, an amphibian disease implicated in die-offs and population declines in many regions of the world. Winter field surveys in the last decade have documented die-offs in populations of the lowland leopard frog Rana yavapaiensis with chytridiomycosis. To test whether the fungus persists in host populations between episodes of observed host mortality, we quantified field-based Bd infection rates during nonwinter months. We used PCR to sample for the presence of Bd in live individuals from nine seemingly healthy populations of the lowland leopard frog as well as four of the American bullfrog R. catesbeiana (a putative vector for Bd) from Arizona. We found Bd in 10 of 13 sampled populations. The overall prevalence of Bd was 43% in lowland leopard frogs and 18% in American bullfrogs. Our results suggest that Bd is widespread in Arizona during nonwinter months and may become virulent only in winter in conjunction with other cofactors, or is now benign in these species. The absence of Bd from two populations associated with thermal springs (water >30°C), despite its presence in nearby ambient waters, suggests that these microhabitats represent refugia from Bd and chytridiomycosis.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Smith-TNC fellowship to MAS. This is publication DHS2007-003 in the Smith-TNC series. Special thanks to the station managers (Martin Lawrence, Mark Haberstich, Doug Sprouse, Barbara Clark, and Bob Rogers) of Nature Conservancy properties for permission to work on their land and their generous hospitality. Thanks to Mark Haberstich of the Nature Conservancy, Jay Schnell, and Dennis Caldwell for access to unpublished data. The article also benefited from careful comments from Barbara Han and two anonymous reviewers. The work was conducted under Arizona State Game and Fish Commission License SP805477 and SP634342. Lina DiGregorio and Gabriel Shea helped with fieldwork.

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  1. Martin A. Schlaepfer

    Present address: College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Martin A. Schlaepfer & Michael J. Ryan

  2. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, AZ, 85023, USA

    Michael J. Sredl

  3. School of Natural Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Phil C. Rosen

Authors
  1. Martin A. Schlaepfer
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  2. Michael J. Sredl
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  3. Phil C. Rosen
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  4. Michael J. Ryan
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Correspondence to Martin A. Schlaepfer.

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Schlaepfer, M.A., Sredl, M.J., Rosen, P.C. et al. High Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Wild Populations of Lowland Leopard Frogs Rana yavapaiensis in Arizona. EcoHealth 4, 421–427 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-007-0136-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-007-0136-y

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