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年的《美国回收与再投资法》（公法111-5）资助的。”珊瑚礁生态系统受到最近的温度升高和预计海洋酸化的预计而极大的威胁。尽管温度已被确定为某些珊瑚疾病暴发的驱动因素，但酸化对宿主免疫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。天然珊瑚种群通常会受到多种病原体同时感染的损失，这些病原体也可能影响宿主免疫反应，但是在缺乏经典适应性免疫力的无脊椎动物系统中，没有研究共感染动态。气候变化很可能会影响单一和共同感染的结果。该项目将研究环境应力对海风扇珊瑚（Gorgonia ventalina）的共同感染动力学的影响，具有真菌病原体，曲曲霉Sydowii和prout虫的寄生虫SPX。目的是确定多种感染，温度和酸化可以改变宿主耐药性的机制，从而导致疾病内部和殖民地之间的变化。该项目的目标是： - 识别两种疾病的曲霉和SPX详细的现场调查的发生率和共同感染频率将检验以下假设：共同感染具有重要意义，提供有关曲霉菌病驱动因素的有价值信息，并将有助于表征新兴的新海风扇疾病。 - 评估共同感染如何影响海风扇的敏感性，耐药性和宿主疾病动力学。 通过操纵实验室接种实验，我们将测试单个感染增加对第二种病原体的敏感性的假设。 - 调查温度升高和海洋酸化对病原体毒力，潜在的宿主抗性以及对单个和共感染的动态的影响，假设酸化将增加病原体的毒力，并且将在温度和pH控制的实验系统中测试酸化和宿主易感性。该系统还将探索温度和酸化对宿主免疫和共感染动态的潜在协同作用。拟议工作的主要智力优点将是对不断变化的气候如何介导非模型无脊椎动物的共同感染和免疫力的更多理解。尽管真菌病原体主要是机会主义的，但迷路的原生动物被认为是贝类中的原发性病原体。即使在贝类中，关于涉及迷宫的共感染也鲜为人知，这些生物在珊瑚中完全未被研究。这项活动的更广泛影响包括对本科生，研究生和博士后研究人员的培训，以及与已建立的本地（例如ITHACA Sciencenter）和国际教育外展计划（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用作吸引注意全球气候危机的工具。调查人员的工作已从主要国家和国际媒体收到的大量通知增强了康奈尔的科学传播工作。当时，这种公共利益也允许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队面前发表讲话。调查人员通过世界银行的合作努力最近还达到了珊瑚病手册和水下ID卡的出版，该卡将协调国际珊瑚礁管理。该项目将进一步支持这些努力，以传达对海洋科学，气候研究和积极主动管理计划的持续支持的需求。