Understanding disease transmission in wild UK amphibians.
Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate group on Earth, with 40% of species vulnerable. Whilst the decline in amphibian population size may be driven by habitat loss, the coup de grace of extinction is often delivered by disease. In the UK, ranavirus is causing mass mortalities in adult common frogs (Rana temporaria). In other countries a wider range of ectothermic hosts are affected including fish, reptiles and amphibians.
This study will attempt to understand how virus is accumulating in the wild, how transmission is occurring, why certain life stages are affected more than others (e.g.
adults vs tadpoles) and what factors influence outcomes of disease. I will use experiments to test hypotheses within a controlled setting.
2024-present: PhD student; Queen Mary University of London & Institute of Zoology, ZSL