Sharing habitat and sharing diseases?

Ranaviruses are emerging pathogens widely associated with amphibian die-offs, but they also infect reptile and fish hosts, posing a significant threat to entire communities of ectothermic vertebrates (Brunner et al. 2015). These viruses cause hemorrhagic disease in amphibians and outbreaks in amphibian populations can spill over to sympatric reptiles (Brenes et al. 2014). We know very little about the pathology and ecology of Ranavirus in reptile hosts, but chelonians seem especially susceptible, and mortality has been recorded in at least one European snake species (Johnson et al. 2008; von Essen et al. 2020).

Despite a global distribution, most studies of Ranavirus in natural systems comes from temperate regions of the world, which may not directly translate to subtropical and tropical systems that boast higher species diversity and different suites of abiotic conditions. My dissertation work in the Longo Lab at the University of Florida seeks to fill the gaps in knowledge of how Ranavirus (Rv) and other pathogens impact subtropical herp communities. Our research in longleaf pine amphibian communities of north-central Florida has revealed recurring and prolonged outbreaks of Rv in the cool winter and spring months, primarily impacting specialist species like striped newts, Notophthalmus perstriatus, and gopher frogs, Lithobates capito (Hartmann et al. 2022). We have continued to document Rv-related disease and mortality for these species, which have already experienced steep decline across their range (Jensen and Richter 2005; Farmer et al. 2017), but there are now concerns how the virus may be affecting sympatric reptile species.