Microplastics increase susceptibility of amphibian larvae to the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs), a new class of pollutants that pose a threat to aquatic biodiversity, are of increasing global concern. In tandem, the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) causing the disease chytridiomycosis is emerging worldwide as a major stressor to amphibians. We here assess whether synergies exist between this infectious disease and MP pollution by mimicking natural contact of a highly susceptible species (midwife toads, Alytes obstetricans) with a Bd-infected reservoir species (fire salamanders, Salamandra salamandra) in the presence and absence of MPs. We found that MP ingestion increases the burden of infection by Bd in a dose-dependent manner. However, MPs accumulated to a greater extent in amphibians that were not exposed to Bd, likely due to Bd-damaged tadpole mouthparts interfering with MP ingestion. Our experimental approach showed compelling interactions between two emergent processes, chytridiomycosis and MP pollution, necessitating further research into potential synergies between these biotic and abiotic threats to amphibians.
Date Issued
2021-11-17
Date Acceptance
2021-11-08
Citation
Scientific Reports, 2021, 11 (1), pp.1-7
ISSN
2045-2322
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Start Page
1
End Page
7
Journal / Book Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
11
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2021. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Sponsor
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34789869
PII: 10.1038/s41598-021-01973-1
Grant Number
MR/R015600/1
NE/S000844/1
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2021-11-17