{"id":683994,"date":"2025-08-08T16:05:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T13:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fungus-metabolites-may-help-ghost-shrimp-survive\/"},"modified":"2025-08-08T16:05:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T13:05:16","slug":"fungus-metabolites-may-help-ghost-shrimp-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fungus-metabolites-may-help-ghost-shrimp-survive\/","title":{"rendered":"Fungus metabolites may help ghost shrimp survive"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n A ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus<\/i>) used in a Connecticut College study examining the effects of chytrid fungus metabolites on freshwater invertebrates. Credit: Connecticut College
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Connecticut College researchers have found that chemical byproducts produced by the amphibian-killing fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis\u2014commonly known as Bd\u2014may actually help ghost shrimp survive. Their study, published in PeerJ<\/a><\/i>, offers deeper insight into how these compounds affect non-amphibian species in freshwater ecosystems.<\/p>\n

The team\u2014led by Ellisa Carla Parker\u2011Athill and Taegan McMahon\u2014used a controlled lab design to compare shrimp given either artificial spring water or a filtered solution containing Bd metabolites. Over a two-week period, they tracked heart rate, behavior, and survival.<\/p>\n

Ghost shrimp play a critical role in freshwater systems by cycling nutrients and supporting other wildlife. Because Bd metabolites are under consideration as a prophylactic treatment for declining amphibian species, it is important to understand how such use might affect other organisms in shared ecosystems.<\/p>\n

“Our goal was to understand whether these fungal byproducts, which are being explored as potential prophylactic treatments for amphibians, might have unintended effects on other organisms that share the same ecosystems,” said Parker-Athill.<\/p>\n

Shrimp exposed to the metabolites experienced 48% lower mortality compared to the control group. These shrimp also showed a lower heart rate and were less likely to display evasive behaviors\u2014a shift that may affect their risk of predation in natural settings. The study found no gill damage or other obvious signs of stress in shrimp exposed to the metabolites.<\/p>\n

The findings challenge assumptions that Bd byproducts are universally harmful. Instead, at low doses, they might confer survival benefits\u2014though the study also highlighted behavior changes that could increase predation risk.<\/p>\n