The National Science Foundation awarded The Pennsylvania State University a $116,657 Project Grant under the Biological Sciences federal grant program (CFDA 47.074) to investigate the relationship between deforestation and amphibian microbiomes and the role this plays in disease emergence. The research will examine how habitat fragmentation impacts pathogen exposure rates and the establishment of "microbiome memory" in amphibians, altering disease risk. Field experiments using microbiome manipulation, host translocation, and radio telemetry will test the links between habitat fragmentation, disease, and the host microbiome independently from other immunity components. This work will generate data integrating landscape ecology and a metacommunity theory of adaptive microbiomes, with implications for host resistance to disease and maintaining biodiversity. The award period is from October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.
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