Forest structural complexity is widely assumed to enhance biodiversity, yet its effects on the physiological condition and health of individual organisms remain poorly understood. We examined how forest structural complexity relates to individual condition and, in turn, to ectoparasite and pathogen occurrence in free-living vertebrates. Across 19 temperate forest plots in Flanders (northern Belgium), spanning a gradient of str...

In the midst of the current biodiversity crisis, amphibians are severely threatened by emerging diseases such as chytridiomycosis. Characterizing the mechanisms that underlie susceptibility to this disease is fundamental to improve amphibian conservation. Using a comprehensive multi‐omics approach, this study investigates the impact of an exposure to the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ( Bsal ) on the gene exp...

The sixth mass extinction is a consequence of complex interplay between multiple stressors with negative impact on biodiversity. We here examine the interaction between two globally widespread anthropogenic drivers of amphibian declines: the fungal disease chytridiomycosis and antifungal use in agriculture. Field monitoring of 26 amphibian ponds in an agricultural landscape shows widespread occurrence of triazole fungicides in...

While epizootics increasingly affect wildlife, it remains poorly understood how the environment shapes most host–pathogen systems. Here, we employ a three‐step framework to study microclimate influence on ectotherm host thermal behaviour, focusing on amphibian chytridiomycosis in fire salamanders ( Salamandra salamandra ) infected with the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ( Bsal ). Laboratory trials reveal tha...

Mitigation of infectious wildlife diseases is especially challenging where pathogens affect communities of multiple host species. Although most ecological studies recognize the challenge posed by multiple‐species pathogens, the implications for management are typically assessed only qualitatively. Translating the intuitive understanding that multiple host species are important into practice requires a quantitative assessment o...

The inconsistent distribution of large‐scale infection mediated die‐offs and the subsequent population declines of several animal species, urges us to understand how, when, and why species are affected by disease. It is often unclear when or under what conditions a pathogen constitutes a threat to a host. Often, variation of environmental conditions plays a role. Globally Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) causes amphibian de...