Project: Aplysina Red Band Syndrome: Investigating the etiology, pathogenesis, and ecology of an emerging marine disease

The emergence of new diseases and the re-emergence of adapted forms of familiar diseases have renewed interest in the roles of pathogens in natural ecosystems. Pathogens are important regulating factors within host populations, as they can impact distribution, growth and reproduction. In the marine environment, epidemic outbreaks of unknown diseases have been reported with alarming frequency over the last two decades, yet little is known regarding the causes of these diseases or their effects on hosts, host populations, and communities.

Gochfeld and colleagues recently described a new disease affecting Caribbean sponges of the genus Aplysina, a dominant component of Caribbean coral reef communities. Aplysina Red Band Syndrome (ARBS) is widespread in the Caribbean, and has rapidly increased in prevalence, making it an ideal study system to increase our understanding of emerging diseases on coral reefs. The research is timely and studying a non-coralline model of marine diseases is significantly beneficial, particularly in light of restrictions on collecting corals, even for research purposes.

The goals of this research proposal are to characterize the etiology (causes) and pathogenesis (effects) of ARBS as a newly emerging disease on coral reefs. This research addresses four objectives:
(1) Characterize the microbial community associated with ARBS;
(2) Examine host responses to ARBS at the ecological, physiological and biochemical levels;
(3) Examine the relationships between ARBS prevalence and other members of the coral reef community; and
(4) Investigate the effects of environmental stressors on ARBS susceptibility and virulence. The research takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study of marine diseases.