Variation in individual temperature preferences, not behavioural fever, affects susceptibility to chytridiomycosis in amphibians.

ABSTRACT: The ability of wildlife populations to mount rapid responses to novel pathogens will be critical for mitigating the impacts of disease outbreaks in a changing climate. Field studies have documented that amphibians preferring warmer temperatures are less likely to be infected with the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). However, it is unclear whether this phenomenon is driven by behavioural fever or natural variation in thermal preference. Here, we placed frogs in thermal gradients, tested for temperature preferences and measured Bd growth, prevalence, and the survival of infected animals. Although there was significant individual- and species-level variation in temperature preferences, we found no consistent evidence of behavioural fever across five fr

SUBMITTER: Sauer EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6125923 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature