Lost paradise—anthropogenic pressure alters microbial functional diversity in an endangered endemic toad-habitat system

Summary

This field-based microbiological study demonstrates that tourism-driven anthropogenic disturbance at the summit of Roraima-tepui significantly reduces microbial functional diversity across interconnected soil and host-associated (amphibian skin and faecal) compartments. The 59% reduction in soil microbial functional diversity and 21–14% reductions in the endemic toad's microbiome raise concern for compromised host immunity and disease resistance in this globally unique, fragile montane ecosystem, particularly given concurrent detection of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. The findings underscore the urgent need to mitigate human-induced pressures and better understand links between altered skin microbiome function and pathogen emergence in this insular highland system.

UK applicability

This work addresses tropical highland ecosystem conservation and is not directly applicable to UK agricultural or clinical practice. However, the methodological integration of ecological, microbiological, and conservation perspectives may inform UK approaches to monitoring microbial biodiversity in protected montane and upland habitats threatened by recreational pressure.

Key measures

Microbial functional diversity (59% reduction in soil; 21% reduction in skin microbiome; 14% reduction in faecal microbiome of Oreophrynella quelchii); microbial composition and functional profiles; presence of anthropogenic pathogens including Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Outcomes reported

The study quantified reductions in microbial functional diversity across soil and amphibian-associated microbiomes at the summit of Roraima-tepui in response to tourism-driven anthropogenic disturbance. Researchers measured microbial composition and functional profiles in soil, amphibian skin, and faecal samples from pristine versus disturbed sites.

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