Skin microbiome correlates with bioclimate and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection intensity in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest treefrogs

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T10:47:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-12-01 In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest (AF) biodiversity conservation is of key importance since the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has led to the rapid loss of amphibian populations here and worldwide. The impact of Bd on amphibians is determined by the host's immune system, of which the skin microbiome is a critical component. The richness and diversity of such cutaneous bacterial communities are known to be shaped by abiotic factors which thus may indirectly modulate host susceptibility to Bd. This study aimed to contribute to understanding the environment-host–pathogen interaction determining skin bacterial communities in 819 treefrogs (Anura: Hylidae and Phyllomedusidae) from 71 species sampled across the AF. We investigated whether abiotic factors influence the bacterial community richness and structure on the amphibian skin. We further tested for an association between skin bacterial community structure and Bd co-occurrence. Our data revealed that temperature, precipitation, and elevation consistently correlate with richness and diversity of the skin microbiome and also predict Bd infection status. Surprisingly, our data suggest a weak but significant positive correlation of Bd infection intensity and bacterial richness. We highlight the prospect of future experimental studies on the impact of changing environmental conditions associated with global change on environment-host–pathogen interactions in the AF. Institute of Zoology Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 Laboratório de Herpetologia Depto de Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências and Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP) Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB) Departamento de Biologia Animal Instituto de Biologia Universidade Estadual de Campinas Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Department of Wildlife Fish and Conservation Biology University of California Davis Laboratório de Antígenos Bacterianos II Departamento de Genética Evolução Microbiologia e Imunologia Instituto de Biologia Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109 Department of Biological Sciences The University of Alabama Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Zoological Institute Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 4 Laboratório de Herpetologia Depto de Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências and Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP) Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP