Meeting Abstract
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has caused the mass decline of hundreds of species globally; posing a serious threat to biodiversity, ecosystem health and stability. Most of the research on this topic has focused on Bd and amphibian interactions because of the severe devastation in frog populations, but Bd has been found in other non-amphibian hosts (e.g. crayfish and soil nematodes) as well. Understanding the host-parasite interaction between Bd and its non-amphibian hosts is essential for understanding the dynamics in the wild, developing applicable epidemiological models, and functional management plans. In this experiment, we examined the interaction between soil nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) and Bd. We exposed soil nematodes to Bd on agar dishes with no other food resources and maintained these organisms for up to several weeks, photographing each adult nematode daily to document the infection dynamic. Nematodes were exposed to Bd and E. coli in an agar plate and the proportion of nematodes that moved to each food resource was documented. Bd exposure did not alter adult nematode length throughout the infection (χ21= 0.43, p = 0.51), but did increase vulva bulging (χ21= 5.18, p = 0.02). Bd zoosporangia emerged from the nematode body through the vulva and Bd infection reduced nematode movement over time (χ21= 8.95, p = 0.003). We also saw nematodes moved towards Bd as a food resource. These results indicate that Bd impacts both nematode survival and mobility. Bd may impact nematode survival in the wild, but further research is required to understand the full extent of these infection dynamics.
