Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection Burden
Project Author
Issue Date
2023-04
Authors
Adams, Sara
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First Reader
Venesky, Matthew D.
Additional Readers
Whitenack, Lisa B.
Keywords
ecology , Bd , Redback Salamanders , Vitamin Supplementation , Vitamin D , Immunity , Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
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Abstract
Food intake is an integral part of maintaining bodily functions such as growth, reproduction, and immunological responses in all species. In many cases, changing environmental conditions may pose challenges such as increased competition, lack of nutritious food sources, or the absence of regular food sources altogether. In addition to caloric intake, vitamins and micronutrients are an important part of maintaining several life processes, including supporting immune functions in many species. One of the vitamins that amphibians specifically rely on is vitamin D. Usually procured through their diets, vitamin D helps maintain several metabolic functions, including calcium metabolism and the ability to enhance T-cell responses. The fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a prolific pathogen in amphibian populations that often leads to death through the resulting disease, chytridiomycosis. As such, being able to examine ways in which this disease may be mitigated is extremely important. To effectively study Bd, Eastern Redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) were used because of their ability to clear the infection regularly. This experiment specifically allows for a closer examination of the specific effects of vitamin D supplementation on Bd infection burden. The main hypothesis of this study is that salamanders who are both exposed to Bd and supplemented with vitamin D will be able to clear their infection more readily than control subjects. Secondary hypotheses include that all infected salamanders will lose mass, and that those supplemented with vitamin D will see less mass loss, comparatively. To test this, groups of red back salamanders both infected with Bd and not infected with Bd were randomly assigned to two treatment groups; those who are given fruit flies that have been dusted with Rep-Cal Calcium with Vitamin D powder and those given fruit flies which have no nutrient dusting. All salamanders, regardless of treatment group, were massed weekly and given approximately 15-20 fruit flies on weekly feeding days. Bd infection was quantified using qPCR analysis, and because no infection was found on any of the salamanders, the final results revealed no significant differences between diet treatments and mass, or diet treatments and Bd exposure. Overall, examining the effects of a simple vitamin supplementation on this prolific fungal infection allowed for a better understanding of vitamin mediated immune response and how that may play a role in larger ecosystem functions.
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Major
Biology
Department
Biology