Publications by authors named "Jesse Erens"
Article Synopsis
- Understanding pathogen diversity is essential for controlling emerging infectious diseases, as different variants interact uniquely with hosts and the environment.
- This study focuses on Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), a fungal pathogen harming European amphibians, by analyzing 13 isolates to examine their reproductive rates and thermal tolerances.
- The research suggests that the combination of host body temperature and the thermal range of Bsal can significantly affect pathogen growth, highlighting the importance of identifying pathogen variants to assess risk to host populations.
Understanding wildlife responses to novel threats is vital in counteracting biodiversity loss. The emerging pathogen () causes dramatic declines in European salamander populations, and is considered an imminent threat to global amphibian biodiversity. However, real-life disease outcomes remain largely uncharacterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStarting in 2010, rapid fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) population declines in northwestern Europe heralded the emergence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), a salamander-pathogenic chytrid fungus. Bsal poses an imminent threat to global salamander diversity owing to its wide host range, high pathogenicity, and long-term persistence in ecosystems. While there is a pressing need to develop further research and conservation actions, data limitations inherent to recent pathogen emergence obscure necessary insights into Bsal disease ecology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile epizootics increasingly affect wildlife, it remains poorly understood how the environment shapes most host-pathogen systems. Here, we employ a three-step framework to study microclimate influence on ectotherm host thermal behaviour, focusing on amphibian chytridiomycosis in fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) infected with the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). Laboratory trials reveal that innate variation in thermal preference, rather than behavioural fever, can inhibit infection and facilitate salamander recovery under humidity-saturated conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne of the most devastating emerging pathogens of wildlife is the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which affects hundreds of amphibian species around the world. Genomic data from pure Bd cultures have advanced our understanding of Bd phylogenetics, genomic architecture and mechanisms of virulence. However, pure cultures are laborious to obtain and whole-genome sequencing is comparatively expensive, so relatively few isolates have been genetically characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtended molecular phylogenetics and revised systematics of Malagasy scincine lizards.
Mol Phylogenet Evol
February 2017
Article Synopsis
- Madagascar is home to diverse skinks that show remarkable variations in body shape, making them an interesting subject for studying lizard evolution.
- Researchers developed a new phylogenetic model for Malagasy skinks based on a large molecular dataset, including multiple species and genetic markers.
- The study revealed three main clades within the genus Amphiglossus and proposed redefining it into three distinct genera to clarify relationships and support future research.
Article Synopsis
- Scincine lizards in Madagascar include around 60 species with unique adaptations, especially those that have evolved to burrow, showing varied limb and eye regressive traits.
- A phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences and microtomographic studies of burrowing lizards helped propose taxonomic changes, such as reviving the genus Grandidierina and synonymizing some other species.
- The study suggests that limb and eye regression happened independently twice within the genus Voeltzkowia, with different patterns of limb loss, and indicates rapid evolution of these traits over a span of several million years.