RAPID: Collaborative Research: Predicting the Spread of Multi-Species Coral Disease Using Species Immune Traits

RAPID：合作研究：利用物种免疫特征预测多物种珊瑚疾病的传播

• 批准号: 1928771
• 负责人: Laura Mydlarz
• 金额: $ 5.35万
• 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: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-05-01 至 2022-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1928771&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Collaborative; Research; Predicting; Spread

Title: Predicting the Spread of Multi-Species Coral Disease Using Species Immune TraitsCoral reef ecosystems provide substantial economic resources to the societies of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) and other US locations in the forms of tourism, fishing and coastal protection. However, reefs are among the most threatened marine environments, and coral disease is having a devastating impact on these valued systems. In early 2019, a multi-species rapid tissue loss disease matching the description of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) was found severely affecting a reef off the southwest coast of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands (USVI). SCTLD has been devastating coral reef communities in southeast Florida for the last four years, and was very recently reported from disparate areas around the Caribbean, including Mexico, Jamaica, and St. Martin. Rapid surveys by the investigators at the University of the Virgin Islands believe that a 50 km2 area southwest of St. Thomas is the initial incidence area of the disease, but will likely spread across the USVI, British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. This study performs experiments to understand how this disease affects coral species immune traits and compares the microbiology and physiology of disease samples in the USVI to samples from Florida. It also examines how changing the species composition of a coral community affects the spread and impact of the disease. The overall aim is to produce a model to predict the impact of multi-species disease spread on reefs based on coral species assemblages. The project contributes to the research training of at least 2 undergraduates, 2 M.S. students, and 3 Ph.D. students, who benefit from cross-investigator mentoring. The research team includes representatives to the Coral Disease Advisory Committees for the USVI and Florida, which ensures rapid communication of findings to management bodies in both regions. Coral disease is a significant and increasing threat to Caribbean coral reef systems. Recent results demonstrate that coral species immune traits can predict disease resistance, and thus, forecast impacts to coral community structure, under multi-species coral disease. The onset of this epizootic in the USVI offers an unprecedented opportunity to test hypotheses about the impact of coral resistance, tolerance and immune traits on disease spread during the early stages of an outbreak that could profoundly change the diversity of Caribbean reefs. It is hypothesized that the abundance of highly susceptible species dictates 1) the onset of disease at reef sites downstream of the initial incidence area, and 2) the spread of disease within reef sites. Furthermore, 3) downstream reef sites where highly susceptible species are removed or treated show lower immune responses in all susceptible corals, later onset of disease, and slower within-site disease spread. To test these hypotheses, two experiments directly compare species responses to disease exposure and test the effect of species assemblage on coral immune function and disease spread. Results from these experiments aim to inform a generalizable model to predict the impact of multi-species disease spread on reefs based on coral species assemblages. Results of this project include direct comparison of the USVI disease to Florida SCTLD and a better understanding of how the abundance of highly susceptible host species impacts the spread of disease during the early onset of a multi-species panzootic.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.

标题：使用物种免疫特征珊瑚礁生态系统预测多种物种珊瑚病的传播，为美国维尔京群岛（USVI）和其他美国社会提供了丰富的经济资源，并以旅游，捕鱼和沿海保护的形式提供了大量的经济资源。 但是，珊瑚礁是最受威胁的海洋环境之一，而珊瑚疾病对这些有价值的系统产生了毁灭性的影响。在2019年初，发现一种多物种快速组织损失疾病与石质珊瑚组织损失疾病（SCTLD）的描述相匹配，严重影响了美国维尔京群岛圣托马斯西南海岸（USVI）的礁石。在过去的四年中，SCTLD一直在佛罗里达州东南部的珊瑚礁社区，最近据报道，包括墨西哥，牙买加和圣马丁在内的加勒比地区不同地区。维尔京群岛大学的调查人员的快速调查认为，圣托马斯西南50 km2地区是该疾病的初始发病率，但可能会遍布USVI，不列颠维尔京群岛和波多黎各。这项研究进行了实验，以了解该疾病如何影响珊瑚物种的免疫特征，并将USVI中疾病样本的微生物学和生理学与佛罗里达州的样本进行比较。它还研究了改变珊瑚群落的物种组成如何影响疾病的传播和影响。总体目的是产生一个模型，以预测基于珊瑚物种组合的多种物种疾病对珊瑚礁的影响。该项目有助于至少2名本科生的研究培训，2 M.S.学生和3博士学位学生，从跨评估者指导中受益。研究小组包括USVI和佛罗里达州珊瑚病咨询委员会的代表，这确保了与两个地区管理机构的发现快速沟通。珊瑚病是对加勒比珊瑚礁系统的巨大威胁。最近的结果表明，在多种种种珊瑚疾病下，珊瑚物种免疫特征可以预测疾病的抗性，从而预测对珊瑚群落结构的影响。在USVI中，这种Epizootic的发作提供了一个前所未有的机会，可以测试关于珊瑚抗性，耐受性和免疫特征对疾病在爆发的早期阶段蔓延的影响的假设，可以深刻地改变加勒比海礁的多样性。假设高度易感物种的丰度决定了1）初始发病率区域下游的珊瑚礁地点的疾病发作，以及2）在礁石部位内疾病的传播。此外，3）在所有易感珊瑚，随后的疾病发作以及现场疾病内疾病扩散较慢的情况下，去除高度易感物种或治疗的下游礁石部位较低的免疫反应。为了检验这些假设，两个实验直接比较物种对疾病暴露的反应，并测试物种组合对珊瑚免疫功能和疾病扩散的影响。这些实验的结果旨在告知可概括的模型，以预测基于珊瑚物种组合的多种物种疾病对礁石的影响。该项目的结果包括将USVI疾病与佛罗里达SCTLD进行直接比较，以及更好地理解高度易感的宿主物种如何影响疾病在多种物种的早期开始时如何影响疾病的传播。该奖项反映了NSF的法规任务，并认为通过基金会的知识优点和广泛的criter criter criteria criteria criter criteria criteria criteria criteria criteria criteria criteria criteria criteria均值得一评论。

项目成果

Deciphering Coral Disease Dynamics: Integrating Host, Microbiome, and the Changing Environment

• DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.575927
• 发表时间: 2020-11
• 作者: Rebecca L. Vega Thurber;L. Mydlarz;M. Brandt;D. Harvell;E. Weil;L. Raymundo;B. Willis;Stanley L Langevin;Allison M. Tracy;Raechel A. Littman;Keri M Kemp;P. Dawkins;K. Prager;M. Garren;J. Lamb

Variable Species Responses to Experimental Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) Exposure

• DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.670829
• 发表时间: 2021-04-30
• 期刊: FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
• 影响因子: 3.7
• 作者: Meiling, Sonora S.;Muller, Erinn M.;Brandt, Marilyn E.
• 通讯作者: Brandt, Marilyn E.