IAI Workshop: Application of Remote Sensing in Microbial Ecology

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9530040 Colwell The association of Vibrio cholerae with plankton has been demonstrated for geographical regions such as Bangladesh and Latin America, but the link between plankton blooms and cholera outbreaks is less clear. This proposal will bring together a team of investigators to compare cholera outbreak data and satellite imagery of phytoplankton blooms. The satellite imagery will be coupled with ground measurements of subsequent zooplankton blooms since phytoplankton blooms almost always precede zooplankton bloom, as observed in Bangladesh. Productivity of plankton, a part of the global oceanic food chain, is dependent on temperature and other nutrients present in the environment. It has been demonstrated that particular bacterial species which are autochthonous members of marine and estuarine aquatic environments are uniquely associated with zooplankton that feed on phytoplankton. By measuring the chlorophyll content of water through remote sensing techniques, it is possible to assess the phytoplankton population density and thereby estimate the concentration of bacterial species with which they are associated. Investigators from North and South America will visit several countries for discussions and carry out preliminary investigations. All collaborating investigators will meet in Maryland to make the final preparations for developing a full Phase II proposal to be submitted to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). The Phase II proposal will include a 2-3 year study during which an inverse model will be developed based on the descriptive/quantitative model to monitor microbial ecosystem from total pigment concentration data. The data will be used as a tool to predict the emergence of a particular species, e.g. Vibrio cholerae, in the aquatic environment. %%% The association of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae with plankton has been demonstrated for geographical regions such as Bangladesh and Latin America, but the link between plankton blooms and cholera outbreaks is less clear. This proposal will bring together a team of investigators to compare cholera outbreak data and satellite imagery of phytoplankton blooms. The satellite imagery will be coupled with ground measurements of subsequent zooplankton blooms since phytoplankton blooms almost always precede zooplankton blooms, as observed in Bangladesh. The PIs will meet with investigators in South American countries to obtain epidemiological data for areas along the coasts of South America for evidence of either epidemics or elevated Vibrio cholerae counts. All collaborating investigators will meet in Maryland to make the final preparation to develop an Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Start- Up Grant Phase II proposal. The group of researchers makes up a strong collaboration among microbiologists, ecologists and climatologists, and this collaboration will bring a better understanding of biodiversity and the impact of climate change on cholera epidemiology. By focusing on cholera epidemics, this collaboration of researchers is addressing a public health problem affecting many parts of the world, in particular South America. The researchers of this proposal are from Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. These countries are members of the IAI, an initiative to stimulate global change research among the scientific institutions of the Americas. The National Science Foundation is the designated U.S. Government agency to carry out the U.S. responsibilities within the IAI. ***