Comments on: Immune function of salamander species Plethodon cinereus, Plethodon electromorphus, and hybrid individuals against Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 23:36:20 +0000

Hi! The big picture here is that we can use naturally occurring phenomena to bolster conservation efforts!

That section just means that individuals that I sampled who were a mix of the two species were able to fight fungal infection better than one parent species, but not better than the other.

That all adds up to just telling us that hybridization can improve the traits of their offspring, and it might be useful when we look at how to defend these populations.

By: Rick Lehtinen

Rick Lehtinen — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 15:02:03 +0000

Nice work Sarah!

By: Thomas Neuville

Thomas Neuville — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:48:35 +0000

Thanks Sarah,
This appears to be significant findings. As I read it I am struck by the notion that measuring small things can teach big lessons. I have two questions 1) What are those big lessons emerging from your research & 2) can you put your concluding remarks* in lay person language so I can better understand (see below)?

*Results showed an intermediate suppression level for the hybrid group, with significantly higher levels than P. cinereus. A significant difference was observed between P. cinereusand P. electromorphus. With these data, it may be possible to predict how hybrid communities will fare against B. salamandrivorans, and help defend North American salamander species.