Sick Hops: How Infection Boosts Jumping Ability in a Threatened Frog Species

Abstract

Infection with a pathogen can trigger a range of physiological changes in the host, often with immediate and noticeable effects. In frogs, early infection with the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) can cause a variety of physiological changes, from mild disturbances such as increased skin shedding and lethargy to more severe disruptions to osmotic regulation and thermal tolerance. We examined how sublethal Bd infection influences critical thermal limits and jumping performance in a threatened alpine frog, Litoria verreauxii alpina, as these survival-critical traits are often compromised early in infection. We assessed critical thermal minimum, critical thermal maximum, and ..