EAGER: Developing a model for transmission of an infectious disease of marine sponges

海洋无脊椎动物疾病已被证明是加勒比珊瑚礁系统加速破坏的主要原因。 影响自然种群的疾病威胁到生物多样性、复原力和社区的生态平衡，以及它们提供的生态系统服务。 迄今为止，大多数关于珊瑚礁疾病的研究都集中在珊瑚上，然而，海绵疾病的报告在地球仪上也有所增加。 在加勒比海的珊瑚礁上，海绵往往是珊瑚礁生物量的主要组成部分，因此在这些生态系统的生态中发挥重要作用。 影响加勒比海海绵的最广为人知的疾病是Aplysina红带综合征，它影响Aplysina属的海绵，导致生长减少、组织坏死和病变部位的断裂，特别是在风暴事件期间。 了解疾病如何在海洋生态系统中出现和传播，对于保持健康的生物多样性水平至关重要，特别是如果我们要在快速变化的环境中获得任何预测能力。 利用广泛的实地观察和实验室分析测试疾病传播模型将有助于更好地了解疾病过程，而为ARBS开发传播模型需要对环境中的病原体-宿主相互作用和病原体库有详细的了解。 虽然有大量关于ARBS感染海绵的生态学和生理学的信息，但人们认识到，传播动力学建模需要更集中和协作的方法。 该项目将开发和测试海洋疾病过程的模型，包括多微生物感染的作用，病原体的来源和汇，以及这种疾病在模型宿主海绵物种（Aplysina cauliformis）中的个体发生。 这种新方法是一种高风险的冒险（即，缺乏必要结果的及时想法）具有高回报潜力（即，研究结果将从根本上加深我们对疾病在海绵体内传播的了解）。 在这方面，该提案适合EAGER供资。 主要研究人员将使用现代技术，如高通量测序，并将这些方法作为一种新的工具，在他们的实验室，以及在他们的本科和研究生课程。 研究生和本科生还将获得多学科的实践研究经验，并将参加海绵疾病调查，以测试新开发的传播模型。将举办公开研讨会，讨论海洋疾病对珊瑚礁的影响，并强调疾病模型对有效管理海洋资源的潜在效用。拟议研究的结果将进一步加深我们对疾病传播动力学的了解，并提高我们对疾病在珊瑚礁生态系统中的作用的理解。

Diseases of marine invertebrates have been shown to be primary causes of the accelerating destruction of Caribbean coral reef systems. Diseases affecting natural populations threaten biodiversity, resilience and the ecological balance of communities, as well as the ecosystem services they provide. To date, most studies of diseases on reefs have focused on corals, however, reports of sponge diseases have also increased across the globe. On Caribbean reefs, sponges are often a dominant component of the reef biomass,and thus play an important role in the ecology of these ecosystems. The most well described disease affecting Caribbean sponges is Aplysina Red Band Syndrome (ARBS), which affects sponges of the genus Aplysina, resulting in reduced growth, tissue necrosis and breakage at the site of the lesion, particularly during storm events. Understanding how diseases emerge and are transmitted within marine ecosystems is critical for maintaining a healthy level of biodiversity, particularly if we are to gain any predictive power in a rapidly-changing environment. Testing models of disease transmission using extensive field observations and laboratory analyses will contribute to a better understanding of disease processes and developing a transmission model for ARBS requires detailed knowledge about the pathogen-host interaction and pathogen reservoirs in the environment. While a large body of information regarding the ecology and physiology of ARBS-infected sponges is available it is recognized that modeling the transmission dynamics requires a more focused and collaborative approach. This project will develop and test a model of marine disease processes that includes the role of polymicrobial infections, sources and sinks of the pathogen(s), and the ontogeny of this disease within a model host sponge species (Aplysina cauliformis). This novel approach is a high-risk venture (i.e., a timely idea lacking requisite results) with high pay-off potential (i.e., the results will fundamentally enhance our understanding of disease transmission within marine sponges). In this respect, the proposal is appropriate for EAGER funding. The principal investigators will use modern techniques such as high throughput sequencing and incorporate these approaches as a new tools in their laboratories as well as in their undergraduate and graduate courses. Graduate and undergraduate students will also be provided with multidisciplinary hands-on research experiences and will participate in sponge disease surveys to test the newly developed transmission model. Public seminars will be presented to discuss the implications of marine diseases coral reefs and to highlight the potential utility of disease models for the effective management of marine resources. Results from the proposed research will further our knowledge of disease transmission dynamics and enhance our understanding of the role of diseases in the ecology of coral reef ecosystems.