DAO 159:15-27 (2024) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03802
FEATURE ARTICLE
Countrywide screening supports model-based predictions of the distribution of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Ukraine
Joanna Jakóbik1, Mykola Drohvalenko1,2, Eduardo Fernandez Melendez1,13, Emilia Kępa1, Oleksandra Klynova3, Anna Fedorova2,4, Oleksii Korshunov2, Oleksii Marushchak5,6, Oksana Nekrasova5,6,7, Natalia Suriadna8, Nazar Smirnov9, Oksana Tkachenko10, Andrii Tupikov11, Christophe Dufresnes12, Oleksandr Zinenko3, Maciej Pabijan1,*
ABSTRACT: The chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a widespread fungus causing amphibian declines across the globe. Although data on Bd occurrence in Eastern Europe are scarce, a recent species distribution model (SDM) for Bd reported that western and north-western parts of Ukraine are highly suitable to the pathogen. We verified the SDM-predicted range of Bd in Ukraine by sampling amphibians across the country and screening for Bd using qPCR. A total of 446 amphibian samples (tissue and skin swabs) from 11 species were collected from 36 localities. We obtained qPCR-positive results for 33 samples including waterfrogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex) and fire- and yellow-bellied toads (Bombina spp.) from 8 localities. We found that Bd-positive localities had significantly higher predicted Bd habitat suitability than sites that were pathogen-free. Amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of samples with the highest Bd load revealed matches with ITS haplotypes of the globally distributed BdGPL strain, and a single case of the BdASIA-2/BdBRAZIL haplotype. We found that Bd was non-randomly distributed across Ukraine, with infections present in the western and north-central forested peripheries of the country with a relatively cool, moist climate. On the other hand, our results suggest that Bd is absent or present in low abundance in the more continental central, southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, corroborating the model-predicted distribution of chytrid fungus. These areas could potentially serve as climatic refugia for Bd-susceptible amphibian hosts.
KEY WORDS: Chytrid fungus · Chytridiomycosis · Species distribution model · Anura · Amphibia
Full text in pdf format  Information about this Feature Article  Supplementary Material | Cite this article as: Jakóbik J, Drohvalenko M, Fernandez Melendez E, Kępa E and others (2024) Countrywide screening supports model-based predictions of the distribution of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Ukraine. Dis Aquat Org 159:15-27. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03802
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