A5043825679- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Gut microbiota and health
- Computational Drug Discovery Methods
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Myxozoan Parasites in Aquatic Species
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Echinoderm biology and ecology
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Protein Structure and Dynamics
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
- Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
- Immune Cell Function and Interaction
- Nematode management and characterization studies
Texas State University
2021-2025
University of Connecticut
2019-2023
University of Southern California
2022
California Institute of Technology
2022
Pennsylvania State University
2022
University of Mississippi
2022
University of Alabama
2022
Southern Cross University
2022
University of Konstanz
2022
University of Alabama at Birmingham
2022
Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels organization. In dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians ( e.g ., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates e.g. , sponges, molluscs, flatworms), protists foraminifera), molecular...
Parasites impose fitness costs on their hosts. Biologists often assume that natural selection favors infection-resistant Yet, when the immune response itself is costly, theory suggests may sometimes favor loss of resistance, which result in alternative stable states where some populations are resistant and others tolerant. Intraspecific variation rarely surveyed a manner tests evolutionary patterns, there few examples adaptive resistance. Here, we show marine threespine stickleback colonized...
Global climate change has increased the number and severity of stressors affecting species, yet not all species respond equally to these stressors. Organisms may employ cellular mechanisms such as apoptosis autophagy in responding stressful events. These two pathways are often mutually exclusive, dictating whether a cell adapts or dies. In order examine differences response stress, we compared immune four coral with range disease susceptibility. Using RNA-seq novel pathway analysis, were...
Disease outbreaks have caused significant declines of keystone coral species. While forecasting disease based on environmental factors has progressed, we still lack a comparative understanding susceptibility among species that would help predict impacts communities. The present study compared the phenotypic and microbial responses seven Caribbean with diverse life-history strategies after exposure to white plague disease. incidence lesion progression rates were evaluated over seven-day...
Echinoderms, positioned taxonomically at the base of deuterostomes, provide an important system for study evolution immune system. However, there is little known about cellular components and genes associated with echinoderm immunity. The 2013-2014 sea star wasting disease outbreak emergent, rapidly spreading disease, which has led to large population declines asteroids in North American Pacific. While evidence suggests that signs this twisting arms lesions, may be attributed a viral...
Abstract The risk and severity of pathogen infections in humans, livestock, or wild organisms depend on host immune function, which can vary between closely related populations even among individuals. This variation entail between-population differences gene coding sequences, copy number, expression. In recent years, many studies have focused population divergence immunity using whole-tissue transcriptomics. But, transcriptomics cannot distinguish evolved regulation within cells, versus...
Studying the mechanisms underlying genotype-phenotype association is crucial in genetics. Gene expression studies have deepened our understanding of genotype → phenotype mechanisms. However, traditional quantitative trait loci (eQTL) methods often overlook critical role gene co-expression networks translating into phenotype. This gap highlights need for more powerful statistical to analyze network mechanism. Here, we develop a network-based method, called spectral analysis (snQTL), map...
Anthropogenic climate change has caused unprecedented declines across a number of marine taxa. Coral reef ecosystems, which are formed by scleractinian corals, face widespread in ecosystem health and function due to co-occurring environmental stressors. Frequent exposure corals variety biotic abiotic stressors makes these cnidarians prime candidate for investigating the effects multiple on ecosystems. In recent decades, hyperthermic bleaching events disease outbreaks have been prominent...
Increasing global temperatures due to climate change have resulted in respective increases the severity and frequency of epizootics around globe. Corals particular faced rapid declines disease outbreaks. Understanding immune responses associated potential life-history trade-offs is therefore a priority. In autumn 2011, novel octocorals genus Eunicea was first documented Florida Keys. Termed Black Disease (EBD), easily identified by dark appearance affected tissue, caused strong melanization...
Vertebrate immunity is a complex system consisting of mix constitutive and inducible defences. Furthermore, host subject to selective pressure from range parasites pathogens which can produce variation in these defences across populations. As populations evolve immune responses parasites, they may adapt via combination (1) differences, (2) shared responses, or (3) divergent responses. Here, we leverage powerful natural host-parasite model (Gasterosteus aculeatus Schistochephalus solidus)...
Scleractinian corals are essential ecosystem engineers, forming the basis of coral reef ecosystems. However, these organisms in decline globally, part due to rising disease prevalence. Most dependent on symbiotic interactions with single-celled algae from family Symbiodiniaceae meet their nutritional needs, however, suppression host immunity may be this relationship. To explore immunological consequences algal symbioses scleractinian corals, we investigated constitutive immune activity...
Within microeukaryotes, genetic and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels organization. In dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellies), other marine invertebrates sponges, molluscs, flatworms), protists foraminifera), molecular data have been...
Commensal microbial communities have immense effects on their vertebrate hosts, contributing to a number of physiological functions, as well host fitness. In particular, immunity is strongly linked microbiota composition through poorly understood bi-directional links. Gene expression may be potential mediator these links between and function. However, few studies investigated connections immune genes in complex systems. Here, we leverage large study laboratory-raised fish from the species...
Closely related populations often differ in resistance to a given parasite, as measured by infection success or failure. Yet, the immunological mechanisms of these evolved differences are rarely specified. Does evolve via changes host's ability recognize that an exists, actuate effective immune response, attenuate response? We tested whether each phases host response contributed threespine sticklebacks' recently their tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus. Although marine stickleback and some...
The Anthropocene will be characterized by increased environmental disturbances, leading to the survival of stress-tolerant organisms, particularly in oceans, where novel marine diseases and elevated temperatures are re-shaping ecosystems. These changes underscore importance identifying mechanisms which promote stress tolerance ecologically important non-model species such as reef-building corals. Mitochondria central regulators cellular have dedicated recovery pathways including...
Scleractinian corals are the principal builders of coral reefs. These megadiverse ecosystems declining due to mortality from a variety stressors, including disease. Corals dependent upon symbiotic dinoflagellates in family Symbiodiniaceae for phototrophic contributions their energy budgets. However, suppression host immunity may be necessary maintain these intracellular symbioses. To explore consequences symbiosis on immunity, we manipulated symbiont density by increasing nitrogen...
Scleractinian corals, essential ecosystem engineers that form the base of coral reef ecosystems, have faced unprecedented mortality in recent decades due to climate change-related stressors, including disease outbreaks. Despite this emergent threat many questions still remain regarding mechanisms underlying observed variation susceptibility. Recent data suggest at least some degree response may be linked variability relationship between host corals and their algal photosymbionts (Family...
Background Living organisms face ubiquitous pathogenic threats and have consequently evolved immune systems to protect against potential invaders. However, many components of the system are physiologically costly maintain engage, often drawing resources away from other organismal processes such as growth reproduction. Evidence a diversity has demonstrated that use complex resource allocation mechanisms manage competing needs optimize fitness. understanding patterns is limited across taxa....
As scleractinian coral cover declines in the face of increased frequency disease outbreaks, future reefs may become dominated by octocorals. Understanding octocoral responses and consequences is therefore necessary if we are to gain insight into ecosystem services provided reefs. In Florida, populations Eunicea calyculata infected with black (EBD) were observed field fall 2011. This was recognized a stark, pigmentation caused heavy melanization. Histological preparations E. EBD demonstrated...
ABSTRACT Closely related populations often differ in resistance to a given parasite, as measured by infection success or failure. Yet, the immunological mechanisms of these evolved differences are rarely specified. Does evolve via changes host’s ability recognize that an exists, actuate effective immune response, attenuate response? We tested whether each phases host response contributed threespine sticklebacks’ recently their tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus. While marine stickleback and...
Abstract Studying the mechanisms underlying genotype-phenotype association is crucial in genetics. Gene expression studies have deepened our understanding of genotype → phenotype mechanisms. However, traditional quantitative trait loci (eQTL) methods often overlook critical role gene co-expression networks translating into phenotype. This gap highlights need for more powerful statistical to analyze network mechanism. Here, we develop a network-based method, called snQTL, map affecting...