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Journal article
Body size influences energetic and osmoregulatory costs in frogs infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
Scientific Reports, Vol.8, 3739
2018
PMID: 29487313
Abstract
Sloughing maintains the skins integrity and critical functionality in amphibians. Given the behavioural, morphological and osmoregulatory changes that accompany sloughing, this process is likely to be physiologically costly. Chytridiomycosis, a cutaneous disease of amphibians caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), disrupts skin function and increases sloughing rates. Moreover, mortality rates from chytridiomycosis are significantly higher in juveniles and so we hypothesised that smaller individuals maybe more susceptible to chytridiomycosis because of allometric scaling effects on the energetic and osmoregulatory costs of sloughing. We measured in-vivo cutaneous ion loss rates and whole animal metabolic rate (MR) of Green tree frogs, Litoria caerulea, over a range of body sizes both infected and uninfected frogs during sloughing. Infected animals had a greater rate of ion loss and mass-specific MR during non-sloughing periods but there were no additional effects of sloughing on either of these parameters. There were also significant interactions with body size and Bd load indicating that smaller animals with higher Bd loads have greater rates of ion loss and higher energetic demands. Our results shed light on why smaller Bd-infected anurans often exhibit greater physiological disruption than larger individuals.
Details
- Title
- Body size influences energetic and osmoregulatory costs in frogs infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
- Authors/Creators
- Nicholas Wu - The University of QueenslandRebecca L. Cramp - The University of QueenslandCraig E. Franklin - The University of Queensland
- Publication Details
- Scientific Reports, Vol.8, 3739
- Publisher
- NATURE PORTFOLIO
- Number of pages
- 11
- Identifiers
- 991005775033107891
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2018
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability; School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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Source: InCites
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- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology
- 3.35.790 Amphibian Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Zoology
- ESI research areas
- Plant & Animal Science