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

据预测，气候变化将增加病原体的传播和毒力，并通过对宿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，污染），我们可能面临疾病对自然群落影响的重大上升。 然而，这些影响在很大程度上是未经研究的。 我们将调查当海带和其他海藻受到温度、营养盐升高或其他人为压力时，海洋病原体对它们的影响。 海带是“海洋之树”，是负责创造鱼类和其他生物栖息地的生物。 由于疾病而导致的海藻森林的丧失将彻底改变这些环境。

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.