RAPID: MICROBIOME AND POPULATION DYNAMICS IN SCLERACTINIAN CORAL TISSUE LOSS DISEASE INFECTED CORALS IN PUERTO RICO

现代珊瑚礁是数千年生长和发展的结果，但它们的死亡正在世界各地以惊人的速度发生。仅在加勒比地区，许多珊瑚礁在短短30-40年内就失去了60%以上的活珊瑚覆盖。因此，它们对沿海社区的生态和经济效益也在下降。与水温上升有关的疾病爆发和更严重和更频繁的漂白（珊瑚组织中的微藻丧失）事件是珊瑚礁大规模死亡的一些主要因素。2014年在佛罗里达首次发现的高度传染性和致命性的硬珊瑚组织丧失病（SCLERA）正在迅速通过加勒比地区，导致重要的造礁珊瑚的广泛死亡。目前的研究主要集中在感染后事件，以确定病原体和描述SCRENTE传播的迹象，模式和后果。 本研究调查珊瑚组织和珊瑚相关的细菌群落之前，期间和之后的感染已经发生在波多黎各的珊瑚礁。该项目更广泛的社会影响涉及珊瑚礁提供的重要生态系统服务，而珊瑚礁受到SCE 2的威胁。该项目还将支持培训一名研究生。 关于SCTLD影响的珊瑚物种中微生物组的病因变异性和时间动态的问题仍然没有答案。具体而言，这项建议解决了以下问题：（1）当感染SCE 2时，易感珊瑚物种的微生物组组成和丰度会发生什么变化？(2)在感染的不同阶段和不同生境中，种内和种间的毒力、流行率和死亡率的变异性如何？该研究地点位于波多黎各西南部的La Parguera自然保护区，自2003年以来，研究小组对从海岸到大陆架边缘的几个珊瑚礁和环境条件进行了表征和监测。该项目包括调查永久断面和组织/粘液样本的分子特征，以及其中的微生物群落，这些样本是从两到三个最敏感的珊瑚物种（即，Meandrina meandrites，M. jacksoni和Orbicellafaveolata）和两种抗性物种的菌落（即，Montastraea cavernosa、Porites astreoides）。预计2019年秋季SCESTs将抵达波多黎各，为研究人员提供了一个独特的机会窗口，可以在感染之前，期间和之后捕获珊瑚礁生物条件，以补充其他研究工作，以更好地了解生态动态，这一新的致命珊瑚疾病的流行和后果。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用的支持，基金会的学术价值和更广泛的影响评审标准。

Modern coral reefs are the result of thousands of years of growth and development, but their demise is occurring at alarming rates around the World. In the Caribbean alone, over 60% of live coral cover has been lost in many reefs in just 30-40 years. Consequently, their ecological and economic benefits to coastal communities are also declining. Disease outbreaks and more intense and frequent bleaching (loss of the microalgae in coral tissues) events associated with increasing water temperatures are some of the main factors for coral reef mass mortalities. The highly infectious and deadly Scleractinian Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), first identified in 2014 in Florida, is quickly moving through the Caribbean causing extensive mortalities across important reef-building corals. Current research is focused in after-infection events to identify the pathogen and characterize the signs, patterns and consequences of SCTLD transmission. This study investigates coral tissues and the coral-associated bacteria communities before, during and after the infection has occurred in reefs in Puerto Rico. The societal broader impact of the project relates to the significant ecosystem services provided by coral reefs, which are threatened by SCTLD. The project will also support training of a graduate student. Questions about etiological variability and the temporal dynamics of the microbiome in SCTLD-affected coral species remain unanswered. Specifically, this proposal addresses the following questions: (1) What are the changes in the microbiome composition and abundances of the susceptible coral species when infected with SCTLD? (2) What is the variability in virulence, prevalence and mortality within and amongst species in different phases of the infection and in different habitats? The research site is in La Parguera Natural Reserve, southwest Puerto Rico, where the research team has characterized and monitored several reefs and environmental conditions from the shore to the shelf edge since 2003. This project includes surveys of permanent transects and molecular characterization of tissue/mucus samples, and microbial communities within those, collected from healthy colonies of two to three of the most susceptible coral species (i.e., Meandrina meandrites, M. jacksoni and Orbicella faveolata) and colonies of two resistant species (i.e., Montastraea cavernosa, Porites astreoides) at the long-term monitoring site. The expected arrival of SCTLD to Puerto Rico in Fall 2019, offers the team of researchers a unique window of opportunity to capture reef biological conditions before, during and after infection to complement other research efforts to better understand the ecological dynamics, prevalence and consequences of this new deadly coral disease.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.