High prevalence of parasitic chytrids infection of glacier algae in cryoconite holes in Alaska
Abstract Glacier algae, which are photosynthetic microbes growing on ice, considerably reduce the surface albedo of glaciers and accelerate their melting rate. Although the growth of glacier algae can be suppressed by parasitic chytrids, the impact of chytrids on algal populations is still largely u...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:458ec7bcf8df4e7f9d8432df64189cc8 2023-05-15T16:20:18+02:00 High prevalence of parasitic chytrids infection of glacier algae in cryoconite holes in Alaska Kino Kobayashi Nozomu Takeuchi Maiko Kagami 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30721-w https://doaj.org/article/458ec7bcf8df4e7f9d8432df64189cc8 EN eng Nature Portfolio https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30721-w https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-023-30721-w 2045-2322 https://doaj.org/article/458ec7bcf8df4e7f9d8432df64189cc8 Scientific Reports, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2023) Medicine R Science Q article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30721-w 2023-03-26T01:33:16Z Abstract Glacier algae, which are photosynthetic microbes growing on ice, considerably reduce the surface albedo of glaciers and accelerate their melting rate. Although the growth of glacier algae can be suppressed by parasitic chytrids, the impact of chytrids on algal populations is still largely unknown. In this study, we described the morphology of the chytrid infecting the glacier alga Ancylonema nordenskioeldii and quantified the prevalence of infection in different habitats on a mountain glacier in Alaska, USA. Microscopic observations revealed three different morphological types of chytrids with distinct rhizoid shapes. Variations in the size of the sporangia were probably because of their different growth stages, indicating that they actively propagated on the glacier. The prevalence of infection did not vary among sites with different elevations but was substantially higher in cryoconite holes (20%) than on ice surfaces (4%) at all sites. This indicates that cryoconite holes are hot spots for chytrid infections of glacier algae, and the dynamics of cryoconite holes might affect the host–parasite interactions between chytrids and the glacier algae, which may in turn alter surface albedo and ice melting. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier glaciers Alaska Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Scientific Reports 13 1 |
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English |
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Medicine R Science Q |
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Medicine R Science Q Kino Kobayashi Nozomu Takeuchi Maiko Kagami High prevalence of parasitic chytrids infection of glacier algae in cryoconite holes in Alaska |
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Medicine R Science Q |
description |
Abstract Glacier algae, which are photosynthetic microbes growing on ice, considerably reduce the surface albedo of glaciers and accelerate their melting rate. Although the growth of glacier algae can be suppressed by parasitic chytrids, the impact of chytrids on algal populations is still largely unknown. In this study, we described the morphology of the chytrid infecting the glacier alga Ancylonema nordenskioeldii and quantified the prevalence of infection in different habitats on a mountain glacier in Alaska, USA. Microscopic observations revealed three different morphological types of chytrids with distinct rhizoid shapes. Variations in the size of the sporangia were probably because of their different growth stages, indicating that they actively propagated on the glacier. The prevalence of infection did not vary among sites with different elevations but was substantially higher in cryoconite holes (20%) than on ice surfaces (4%) at all sites. This indicates that cryoconite holes are hot spots for chytrid infections of glacier algae, and the dynamics of cryoconite holes might affect the host–parasite interactions between chytrids and the glacier algae, which may in turn alter surface albedo and ice melting. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kino Kobayashi Nozomu Takeuchi Maiko Kagami |
author_facet |
Kino Kobayashi Nozomu Takeuchi Maiko Kagami |
author_sort |
Kino Kobayashi |
title |
High prevalence of parasitic chytrids infection of glacier algae in cryoconite holes in Alaska |
title_short |
High prevalence of parasitic chytrids infection of glacier algae in cryoconite holes in Alaska |
title_full |
High prevalence of parasitic chytrids infection of glacier algae in cryoconite holes in Alaska |
title_fullStr |
High prevalence of parasitic chytrids infection of glacier algae in cryoconite holes in Alaska |
title_full_unstemmed |
High prevalence of parasitic chytrids infection of glacier algae in cryoconite holes in Alaska |
title_sort |
high prevalence of parasitic chytrids infection of glacier algae in cryoconite holes in alaska |
publisher |
Nature Portfolio |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30721-w https://doaj.org/article/458ec7bcf8df4e7f9d8432df64189cc8 |
genre |
glacier glaciers Alaska |
genre_facet |
glacier glaciers Alaska |
op_source |
Scientific Reports, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30721-w https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-023-30721-w 2045-2322 https://doaj.org/article/458ec7bcf8df4e7f9d8432df64189cc8 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30721-w |
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Scientific Reports |
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13 |
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1766008211120324608 |