Rapid rates of biodiversity loss have supported the notion that Earth is experiencing a sixth major extinction event. The causes of worldwide biodiversity loss are multifaceted and context dependent. One of the most prominent groups experiencing population declines and extinctions are amphibians. Several pathogens and their associated diseases are especially...
Predator-prey interactions have historically been studied to explain patterns of organization observed in populations and communities. They have also been important in understanding the evolution of antipredator responses in prey and counterstrategies in predators. Despite the breadth of knowledge that exists for heterospecific interactions, relatively few studies have investigated the...
Pollution by pesticides is a ubiquitous concern for wildlife. The effects of
pesticides are especially concerning in aquatic environments, which are particularly
vulnerable as they have several exposure routes for the influx of chemicals. These
effects are of particular concern as biodiversity loss reaches unprecedented rates. This
includes recent declines...
Emerging infectious diseases impact both human and wildlife populations. Infectious agents, in particular the aquatic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (chytrid), have an influential role in driving global amphibian population declines. The emergence of the chytrid fungus has aspects of both geographic spread as well as climate shifts altering environmental conditions and...
Some parasites may modify the behavior of their
hosts. Altered behaviors may: 1) benefit the host in
that they defend against the pathogen, 2) benefit the
pathogen and represent manipulations of the host
response, and 3) benefit neither the host or the
pathogen and simply be a product of the...
We proposed to test the hypothesis that ecologically relevant concentrations of pesticide mixtures will increase susceptibility of metamorphic amphibians to a fungal pathogen known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd. Bd has received considerable attention as one of the causes of declining amphibian populations. We hypothesized that exposure to the contaminants...
Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) has been suggested as a factor contributing to global amphibian population declines. While ambient UV-B levels damage the eggs and embryos of some amphibian species, few studies have addressed how UV-B affects other life history stages or sublethal responses. My dissertation focuses on (1) investigations of sublethal...
In the US, significant research is ongoing regarding the interactions of pesticides with species and processes within wetland ecosystems. For example, the effect of such pollutants on amphibian survival and physiology has been an area of focused research. Negative impacts of pesticides to non-target organisms (e.g. amphibians) have been observed....