Collaborative Research: Assessing the Effect of Environmental Stressors on Invertebrate Innate Immunity using a Coral Pathosystem

Mydlarz， Laura ios1017458lit：合作研究：利用珊瑚病理系统评估环境压力源对无脊椎动物先天免疫的影响在过去的几十年里，造礁珊瑚的丰富度急剧下降。珊瑚丧失的主要原因与海洋变暖、营养物污染和疾病爆发有关，所有这些都是人为引起的气候变化造成的。观察结果表明，珊瑚疾病的数量和流行程度在过去二十年中有所增加，几乎每年都有新的动物流行病表明，环境压力因素驱动或加剧了珊瑚疾病。该项目将检查珊瑚对病原体的抵抗力和先天免疫变异，并量化海洋变暖和营养物污染对珊瑚免疫反应有效性的影响。该项目将重点关注黄带病（YBD）系统。Montastraea属是现代西大西洋珊瑚礁中最重要的珊瑚群之一，然而，由于白化和疾病，Montastraea的种群数量急剧下降。通过对珊瑚免疫过程中的细胞和无细胞过程的测定，pi将检查自然感染珊瑚的抗病变异，温度胁迫的反应时间和恢复时间，以及在存在YBD病原体的情况下，应激源的组合如何影响珊瑚的免疫。该项目还将在多所大学培养本科生和研究生，并促进四所大学之间的交流。资金将支持一个新的服务学习项目。海洋生物学高级课程的本科生将根据课程和本项目的概念为初中生准备并执行一份教案。该项目的一名研究人员将与天文馆和面向公众的科学中心的专业教育工作者和外展专家合作，开发互动博物馆展示和K-4夏令营项目。

Mydlarz, Laura IOS-1017458LiT: Collaborative Research: Assessing the effect of environmental stressors on invertebrate innate immunity using a coral pathosystemThe abundance of reef-building corals has declined dramatically over the last decades. The main causes of coral loss are related to ocean warming, nutrient pollution and disease outbreaks, all resulting from anthropogenic-induced climate change. Observations indicate that number and prevalence of coral diseases have increased over the last two decades and new epizootics nearly every year suggest that environmental stressors drive or exacerbate coral disease. This project will examine coral resistance to pathogens and variation in innate immunity, as well as quantify the effects of ocean warming and nutrient pollution on the effectiveness of coral immune responses. The project will focus on the Montastraea faveolata Yellow Band Disease (YBD) system. The genus Montastraea is one of the most important groups of corals of modern western Atlantic coral reefs, however, Montastraea spp. populations have declined dramatically mainly due to bleaching and disease. Using assays for cellular and cell-free processes in coral immunity, the PIs will examine the variability in disease resistance in naturally infected corals, the reaction time and recovery time from temperature stress and how the combination of stressors influence coral immunity in the presence of YBD pathogens. This project will also train undergraduates and graduate students at multiple universities, and promote exchange between four universities. Funding will support a novel service-learning project. Undergraduate students from an upper-level marine biology course will prepare and execute a lesson plan for junior high school students based on concepts from their course and this project. One of the investigators on this project will collaborate with professional educators and outreach specialists at a Planetarium and a public-oriented Science Center to develop an interactive museum display and K-4 summer camp programs.