Collaborative Research (RAPID): Testing Intervention Strategies to Change the Outcome of Disease-caused Mass-mortality Events in a Declining Amphibian

协作研究（RAPID）：测试干预策略以改变因疾病导致的两栖动物大规模死亡事件的结果

• 批准号: 1244776
• 负责人: Erica Rosenblum
• 金额: $ 3.07万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-08-01 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1244776&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; RAPID; Testing; Intervention

New diseases are emerging at an increasing rate, and in numerous cases are having devastating effects on wildlife species. The amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; Bd) causes the disease chytridiomycosis that since its emergence has resulted in the extinction or serious decline of hundreds of amphibian species worldwide. In California?s Sierra Nevada, chytridiomycosis has caused the near-extinction of the once-common mountain yellow-legged frog. During summer 2012, the largest remaining mountain yellow-legged frog population will suffer a die-off event caused by the recent arrival of Bd in the area. In mountain yellow-legged frog populations the arrival of Bd in a previously uninfected population typically results in frog population extinction, and the goal of the proposed study is to change the outcome to long-term frog population persistence. This disease intervention will take the form of a field experiment implemented during the Bd-caused frog die-off. In this experiment the effectiveness of two treatments, (1) an antifungal drug, and (2) the augmentation of antifungal bacteria that occur naturally on frog skin, will be assessed at the scale of an entire frog population. This experiment will also provide an opportunity to describe the mechanisms underlying treatment effectiveness, including the role of the frog immune system, the microbial community present on the skin of frogs, and rapid evolution in frogs. Based on results from previous laboratory and small-scale field trials it is expected that antifungal drug and bacterial augmentation treatments will increase frog survival relative to frogs that are left untreated. Results from the proposed study will have important implications for conservation efforts aimed at wildlife species worldwide that are threatened by emerging diseases (e.g., amphibians, bats, apes). The study will also provide training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, with every effort made to include those from underrepresented groups to the maximum extent possible.

新疾病的出现速度越来越快，在许多情况下对野生动物物种产生了毁灭性影响。两栖类壶菌（Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis；Bd）引起壶菌病，自其出现以来，已导致全世界数百种两栖动物物种灭绝或严重衰退。在加利福尼亚州的内华达山脉，壶菌病导致曾经常见的山黄腿蛙几近灭绝。 2012年夏季，由于Bd最近抵达该地区，现存最大的山地黄腿蛙种群将遭受灭绝事件。在山地黄腿蛙种群中，Bd 进入先前未感染的种群通常会导致青蛙种群灭绝，本研究的目标是改变青蛙种群长期持续存在的结果。这种疾病干预措施将采取在 Bd 引起的青蛙死亡期间进行现场实验的形式。在本实验中，将在整个青蛙种群的规模上评估两种治疗方法的有效性，（1）抗真菌药物，以及（2）增加青蛙皮肤上自然产生的抗真菌细菌。该实验还将提供一个机会来描述治疗效果的潜在机制，包括青蛙免疫系统的作用、青蛙皮肤上存在的微生物群落以及青蛙的快速进化。根据之前实验室和小规模现场试验的结果，预计抗真菌药物和细菌强化治疗将比未经治疗的青蛙提高存活率。拟议研究的结果将对全球受新兴疾病威胁的野生动物物种（例如两栖动物、蝙蝠、猿）的保护工作产生重要影响。该研究还将为本科生和研究生提供培训机会，并尽最大努力将来自代表性不足群体的学生纳入其中。