Modeling the Distribution of the Chytrid Fungus <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> with Special Reference to Ukraine
Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates. While habitat loss poses the greatest threat to amphibians, a spreading fungal disease caused by <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> Longcore, Pessier & D.K. Nichols 1999 (Bd) is seriously affecting an increasing number of sp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/6/607 |
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| author | Volodymyr Tytar Oksana Nekrasova Mihails Pupins Arturs Skute Muza Kirjušina Evita Gravele Ligita Mezaraupe Oleksii Marushchak Andris Čeirāns Iryna Kozynenko Alena A. Kulikova |
| author_facet | Volodymyr Tytar Oksana Nekrasova Mihails Pupins Arturs Skute Muza Kirjušina Evita Gravele Ligita Mezaraupe Oleksii Marushchak Andris Čeirāns Iryna Kozynenko Alena A. Kulikova |
| author_sort | Volodymyr Tytar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates. While habitat loss poses the greatest threat to amphibians, a spreading fungal disease caused by <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> Longcore, Pessier & D.K. Nichols 1999 (Bd) is seriously affecting an increasing number of species. Although Bd is widely prevalent, there are identifiable heterogeneities in the pathogen’s distribution that are linked to environmental parameters. Our objective was to identify conditions that affect the geographic distribution of this pathogen using species distribution models (SDMs) with a special focus on Eastern Europe. SDMs can help identify hotspots for future outbreaks of Bd but perhaps more importantly identify locations that may be environmental refuges (“coldspots”) from infection. In general, climate is considered a major factor driving amphibian disease dynamics, but temperature in particular has received increased attention. Here, 42 environmental raster layers containing data on climate, soil, and human impact were used. The mean annual temperature range (or ‘continentality’) was found to have the strongest constraint on the geographic distribution of this pathogen. The modeling allowed to distinguish presumable locations that may be environmental refuges from infection and set up a framework to guide future search (sampling) of chytridiomycosis in Eastern Europe. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:16:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9f1a9a7fdc5743afbd08b5c8bb7da6f4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:16:34Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-9f1a9a7fdc5743afbd08b5c8bb7da6f42023-11-18T11:08:19ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2023-05-019660710.3390/jof9060607Modeling the Distribution of the Chytrid Fungus <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> with Special Reference to UkraineVolodymyr Tytar0Oksana Nekrasova1Mihails Pupins2Arturs Skute3Muza Kirjušina4Evita Gravele5Ligita Mezaraupe6Oleksii Marushchak7Andris Čeirāns8Iryna Kozynenko9Alena A. Kulikova10I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 01030 Kyiv, UkraineI.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 01030 Kyiv, UkraineDepartment of Ecology, Institute of Life Sciences and Technologies, Daugavpils University, LV5400 Daugavpils, LatviaDepartment of Ecology, Institute of Life Sciences and Technologies, Daugavpils University, LV5400 Daugavpils, LatviaDepartment of Ecology, Institute of Life Sciences and Technologies, Daugavpils University, LV5400 Daugavpils, LatviaDepartment of Ecology, Institute of Life Sciences and Technologies, Daugavpils University, LV5400 Daugavpils, LatviaDepartment of Ecology, Institute of Life Sciences and Technologies, Daugavpils University, LV5400 Daugavpils, LatviaI.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 01030 Kyiv, UkraineDepartment of Ecology, Institute of Life Sciences and Technologies, Daugavpils University, LV5400 Daugavpils, LatviaI.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 01030 Kyiv, UkraineIndependent Researcher, LV5400 Daugavpils, LatviaAmphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates. While habitat loss poses the greatest threat to amphibians, a spreading fungal disease caused by <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> Longcore, Pessier & D.K. Nichols 1999 (Bd) is seriously affecting an increasing number of species. Although Bd is widely prevalent, there are identifiable heterogeneities in the pathogen’s distribution that are linked to environmental parameters. Our objective was to identify conditions that affect the geographic distribution of this pathogen using species distribution models (SDMs) with a special focus on Eastern Europe. SDMs can help identify hotspots for future outbreaks of Bd but perhaps more importantly identify locations that may be environmental refuges (“coldspots”) from infection. In general, climate is considered a major factor driving amphibian disease dynamics, but temperature in particular has received increased attention. Here, 42 environmental raster layers containing data on climate, soil, and human impact were used. The mean annual temperature range (or ‘continentality’) was found to have the strongest constraint on the geographic distribution of this pathogen. The modeling allowed to distinguish presumable locations that may be environmental refuges from infection and set up a framework to guide future search (sampling) of chytridiomycosis in Eastern Europe.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/6/607amphibiafungal diseasesspreadinginfectionpathogenGIS modeling |
| spellingShingle | Volodymyr Tytar Oksana Nekrasova Mihails Pupins Arturs Skute Muza Kirjušina Evita Gravele Ligita Mezaraupe Oleksii Marushchak Andris Čeirāns Iryna Kozynenko Alena A. Kulikova Modeling the Distribution of the Chytrid Fungus <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> with Special Reference to Ukraine Journal of Fungi amphibia fungal diseases spreading infection pathogen GIS modeling |
| title | Modeling the Distribution of the Chytrid Fungus <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> with Special Reference to Ukraine |
| title_full | Modeling the Distribution of the Chytrid Fungus <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> with Special Reference to Ukraine |
| title_fullStr | Modeling the Distribution of the Chytrid Fungus <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> with Special Reference to Ukraine |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modeling the Distribution of the Chytrid Fungus <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> with Special Reference to Ukraine |
| title_short | Modeling the Distribution of the Chytrid Fungus <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> with Special Reference to Ukraine |
| title_sort | modeling the distribution of the chytrid fungus i batrachochytrium dendrobatidis i with special reference to ukraine |
| topic | amphibia fungal diseases spreading infection pathogen GIS modeling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/6/607 |
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