Monitoring of the patogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans within populations of fire salamander Salamandra salamandra in Posázaví region

Bc. Tomáš Caska

Diplomová práce

Abstract:

Chytridiomycosis is the emerging infectious disease and is one of the major factors causing global amphibian declines. This diploma thesis is aimed to the monitoring of recently discovered pathogenic chytrid fungus the Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), likely originated in South Asia, at fire salamanders (Salamanadra salamandra) in two localities in Czech Republic. It is a serious disease which infects newts and salamanders and led to massive population decline of fire salamanders in Netherlands and Belgium. The infection is lethal for European caudate species. This chytrid fungus caused erosive skin diseases and fast mortality of infected animals. Research was conducted at two locations closed to Sázava city. Skin swabs samples were collected from 45 fire salamanders in total. Samples were analysed for pathogen presence by duplex- real time PCR method. In tested samples, the presence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was not detected. The results of this research contribute to mapping of possible amplification of this pathogen in Czech Republic. Another part of this research, was to estimate the population size of fire salamanders on possibly threatened studied locality Radvanice, using capture- mark- recapture method. Locality is threatened mainly by clear cutting of forest and possibly by contamination of the brook. The threats and prospects for population of fire salamanders were evaluated and the future steps and care plan was suggested.

Keywords

Chytridiomycosis, amphibian protection, amphibian diseases, terrestrial salamanders

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 27. 4. 2017

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: doc. Ing. Jiří Vojar, Ph.D.

Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze

Fakulta životního prostředí

Magisterský studijní program / obor:
Tropické zemědělství / Wildlife Management in Tropics and Subtropics