Stress, virulence and bacterial disease in temperate seaweeds: the rise of the microbes.

气候变化预计会增加病原体的传播和毒力，并通过对寄主的温度胁迫降低对疾病的抵抗力。再加上其他人类影响(更高的营养物质、污染)，我们可能面临疾病对自然社区影响的大幅上升。然而，这些影响在很大程度上还没有得到研究。我们将研究海洋病原体在海带和其他海藻受到温度、营养物质升高或其他人为应激的压力时对它们的影响。海带是“海洋之树”，这种生物创造了鱼类和其他生物赖以生存的大部分栖息地。由于疾病而丧失的海藻森林将从根本上改变这些环境。

Climate change is predicted to increase the spread and virulence of pathogens, and decrease the resistance to disease via temperature stress on the hosts. Combined with other human impacts (higher nutrients, pollution), we may be facing a major rise in the effect of disease on natural communities. However, these effects are largely unstudied. We will investigate the impact of marine pathogens on kelps and other seaweeds when they are stressed by temperature, elevated nutrients or other anthropogenic stressors. Kelp are the 'trees of the oceans', the organisms responsible for creating much of the habitat that fishes and other organisms live in. The loss of kelp forests due to disease would radically change these environments.