An emerging viral pathogen truncates population age structure in a European amphibian and may reduce population viability.

ABSTRACT: Infectious diseases can alter the demography of their host populations, reducing their viability even in the absence of mass mortality. Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates globally, and emerging infectious diseases play a large role in their continued population declines. Viruses belonging to the genus Ranavirus are responsible for one of the deadliest and most widespread of these diseases. To date, no work has used individual level data to investigate how ranaviruses affect population demographic structure. We used skeletochronology and morphology to evaluate the impact of ranaviruses on the age structure of populations of the European common frog (Rana temporaria) in the UK. We compared ecologically similar populations that differed most notably in their

SUBMITTER: Campbell LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6241393 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature