Multiple zoosporic parasites pose a significant threat to amphibian populations.
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Abstract
There is substantial evidence for the dominant role of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in amphibian population dynamics. However, a wide range of other pathogens could also be important in precipitating amphibian population declines, particularly in the face of climate change or other stressors. Here we discuss some examples of zoosporic parasites in the Chytridiomycota, Mesomycetozoa, Perkinsozoa and Oomycota, all of which infect amphibians in freshwater habitats. The pathosystem model provides an excellent basis for understanding host–parasite interactions. Chemotactic zoopores and several families of proteases facilitate infection. Introduction of non-native host may accelerate the dispersal of these parasites. Unlike B. dendrobatidis some of the other zoosporic parasites grow well at or slightly above 25 °C, and their growth rates are likely to increase with global warming. The interactions of parasites with each other and the combined effect of simultaneous infection with multiple species in amphibian populations remain to be carefully studied.
