title: Disassembly of a tadpole community by a multi-host fungal pathogen with limited evidence of recovery.
abstract: Emerging infectious diseases can cause host community disassembly, but the mechanisms driving the order of species declines and extirpations following a disease outbreak are unclear. We documented the community disassembly of a Neotropical tadpole community during a chytridiomycosis outbreak, triggered by the generalist fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Within the first 11 months of Bd arrival, tadpole density and occupancy rapidly declined. Species rarity, in terms of tadpole occupancy and adult relative abundance, did not predict the odds of tadpole occupancy declines. But species losses were taxonomically selective, with glassfrogs (Family: Centrolenidae) disappearing the fastest and tree frogs (Family: Hylidae) and dart-poison frogs (Family: Dendrobatidae) remaining the longest. We detected biotic homogenization of tadpole communities, with post-decline communities resembling one another more strongly than pre-decline communities. The entire tadpole community was extirpated within 22 months following Bd arrival, and we found limited signs of recovery within 10 years post-outbreak. Because of imperfect species detection inherent to sampling species-rich tropical communities and the difficulty of devising a single study design protocol to sample physically complex tropical habitats, we used simulations to provide recommendations for future surveys to adequately sample diverse Neotropical communities. Our unique data set on tadpole community composition before and after Bd arrival is a valuable baseline for assessing amphibian recovery. Our results are of direct relevance to conservation managers and community ecologists interested in understanding the timing, magnitude, and consequences of disease outbreaks as emerging infectious diseases spread globally.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20744, USA.
authors.forename: Graziella V
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5264-4762
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: DiRenzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20744, USA.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Che-Castaldo
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rugenski
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisconsin, 53186, USA.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brenes
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology and Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, 62901, USA.
authors.forename: Matt R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Whiles
authors.affiliation: Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pringle
authors.affiliation: Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kilham
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20744, USA.
authors.forename: Karen R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Lips
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D058448:Biota; D008411:Chytridiomycota / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D009181:Mycoses / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010176:Panama; D011157:Population Dynamics
keywords: 
  Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
  ; Neotropics; Panama; amphibians; disease; extinction; site-occupancy model