Abstract
Nascent fungal infections are currently considered as one of the main threats for biodiversity and ecosystem health, and have driven several animal species into critical risk of extinction. Sea turtles are one of the most endangered groups of animals and only seven species have survived to date. Here, we described two pathogenic species, i.e., Fusarium falciforme and Fusarium keratoplasticum, that are globally distributed in major turtle nesting areas for six sea turtle species and that are implicated in low hatch success. These two fungi possess key biological features that are similar to emerging pathogens leading to host extinction, e.g., high virulence, and a broad host range style of life. Their optimal growth temperature overlap with the optimal incubation temperature for eggs, and they are able to kill up to 90% of the embryos. Environmental forcing, e.g., tidal inundation and clay/silt content of nests, were correlated to disease development. Thus, these Fusarium species constitute a major threat to sea turtle nests, especially to those experiencing environmental stressors. These findings have serious implications for the survival of endangered sea turtle populations and the success of conservation programs worldwide.
Highlights
In the last decades, fungal pathogens have been found to cause the major losses and even extinctions of several animal species [1]
In order to determine the incidence of F. solani in sea turtle nests, we conducted a disease survey of six of the major sea turtlenesting regions in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, and the Caribbean Sea during the period from 2005 to 2012 (Figure 1)
We sampled eggs with and without macroscopic signs of Fusarium infection from different stages of embryonic development (Figure 2) and obtained 119 fungal isolates that were initially identified as F. solani based on their morphological characters [25,26] and the BLAST search of their internal transcribed spacer (ITS) nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences
Summary
Fungal pathogens have been found to cause the major losses and even extinctions of several animal species [1]. Fusarium-colonized eggs were found in all sea turtle species and nesting areas surveyed.
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