COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Influence of Temperature and Acidification on the Dynamics of Coral Co-Infection and Resistance

合作研究：温度和酸化对珊瑚共同感染和抵抗力动态的影响

• 批准号: 0849799
• 负责人: Laura Mydlarz
• 金额: $ 5.81万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Arlington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-15 至 2012-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0849799&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: COLLABORATIVE; RESEARCH; Influence; Temperature; Acidification

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Coral reef ecosystems are highly endangered by recent increases in temperature and by projected increases in ocean acidification. Although temperature has been identified as a driver of some coral disease outbreaks, nothing is known about direct effects of acidification on host immunity and pathogen virulence, or the potential for synergism with temperature. Natural coral populations often suffer from simultaneous infection by multiple pathogens that can also influence host immune responses, but co-infection dynamics have not been investigated in invertebrate systems lacking classical adaptive immunity. Changing climate will very likely influence the outcome of single and co-infection. This project will investigate the influence of environmental stress on co-infection dynamics of the sea fan coral, Gorgonia ventalina, with a fungal pathogen, Aspergillus sydowii and a protist parasite, SPX. The goal is to identify the mechanisms through which multiple infections, temperature and acidification modify host resistance, leading to changes in within- and among-colony rates of disease spread. The Objectives of this project are to: -Identify incidence and co-infection frequency of Aspergillus sydowii and SPX Detailed field surveys of the two diseases will test the hypothesis that co-infection is significant, provide valuable information about drivers of aspergillosis, and will help to characterize an emerging new sea fan disease. -Investigate how co-infection influences sea fan susceptibility, resistance, and within host disease dynamics. Through manipulative lab inoculation experiments we will test the hypothesis that single infections increase susceptibility to a second pathogen. -Examine the effects of temperature increase and ocean acidification on pathogen virulence, on underlying host resistance, and on the dynamics of single and co-infections The hypotheses that acidification will increase pathogen virulence and host susceptibility will be tested in a temperature and pH controlled experimental system. This system will also allow the potential synergistic effects of temperature and acidification on host immunity and co-infection dynamics to be explored. The primary intellectual merit of the proposed work will be a greater understanding of how changing climate mediates co-infection and immunity in a non-model invertebrate. While fungal pathogens are primarily opportunistic, labyrinthulid protozoans are recognized as primary pathogens in shellfish. Even in shellfish, little is known about co-infections involving labyrinthulids, and these protists are entirely unstudied in corals. The Broader impacts of this activity include training of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, as well as collaborations with established local (e.g. Ithaca Sciencenter) and international educational outreach programs (World Bank Global Environmental Fund: GEF). In addition, the public's fascination with coral reefs can be used as a tool in drawing attention to the global climate crisis. The considerable notice the investigators work has received from major national and international media has bolstered Cornell's science communication efforts. This public interest has also allowed then to participate in policy discussions that will influence global environmental policies, such as speaking before the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. The investigators collaborative efforts through the World Bank have also recently culminated in the publication of a Coral Disease Handbook and underwater ID cards that will coordinate international coral reef management. The project will further support these efforts to communicate the need for continued support of the marine sciences, climate studies, and proactive management programs.

“该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。“珊瑚礁生态系统受到最近气温上升和海洋酸化预计增加的高度威胁。虽然温度已被确定为一些珊瑚疾病爆发的驱动因素，但对酸化对宿主免疫力和病原体毒力的直接影响或与温度协同作用的潜力一无所知。天然珊瑚种群往往遭受同时感染多种病原体，也可以影响宿主的免疫反应，但共同感染的动力学还没有研究在无脊椎动物系统缺乏经典的适应性免疫。气候变化很可能影响单一感染和合并感染的结果。本项目将调查环境压力对海扇珊瑚Gorgonia ventalina与真菌病原体Aspergillus sydowii和原生生物寄生虫SPX共同感染动态的影响。其目标是确定多重感染、温度和酸化改变宿主抗性的机制，从而导致疾病传播的群体内和群体间速率的变化。该项目的目的是：-确定发病率和合并感染频率的Aspergillus sydowii和SPX的详细实地调查的两种疾病将测试假设，合并感染是显着的，提供有价值的信息，驱动曲霉病，并将有助于表征一个新兴的新的海扇病。- 调查共同感染如何影响海扇易感性、抗性和宿主疾病动态。 通过实验室的接种实验，我们将检验单一感染增加对第二种病原体易感性的假设。- 研究温度升高和海洋酸化对病原体毒力、潜在宿主抗性以及单一和合并感染动态的影响酸化将增加病原体毒力和宿主易感性的假设将在温度和pH控制的实验系统中进行测试。该系统还将允许探索温度和酸化对宿主免疫力和共感染动力学的潜在协同效应。拟议工作的主要智力价值将是更好地了解气候变化如何介导非模型无脊椎动物的共同感染和免疫力。虽然真菌病原体主要是机会性的，但贝类原生动物被认为是贝类的主要病原体。即使是在贝类中，对涉及海蛞蝓的共同感染也知之甚少，这些原生生物在珊瑚中也完全没有研究过。这项活动的更广泛的影响包括本科生，研究生和博士后研究人员的培训，以及与当地（如伊萨卡科学中心）和国际教育推广计划（世界银行全球环境基金：GEF）的合作。此外，公众对珊瑚礁的迷恋可以作为一种工具，引起人们对全球气候危机的关注。调查人员的工作从主要的国家和国际媒体收到了相当多的注意，这加强了康奈尔大学的科学传播工作。这种公共利益也使他们能够参与影响全球环境政策的政策讨论，例如在美国珊瑚礁工作组面前发言。调查人员通过世界银行进行的合作努力最近还导致出版了《珊瑚疾病手册》和水下身份证，以协调国际珊瑚礁管理工作。该项目将进一步支持这些努力，以宣传继续支持海洋科学，气候研究和积极管理计划的必要性。