Ecology & Evolution of Disease and Immunity

Key words: Eco-immunology, host-parasite interactions, disease, pollution, co-infection, marine biology

My research on octocoral disease and immunity in Puerto Rico is in collaboration with Dr. Ernesto Weil at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. My dissertation research focuses on the Caribbean sea fan, Gorgonia ventalina, a well-characterized octocoral species that harbors a variety of pathogenic organisms.

Coral co-infection

Co-infection is the reality for organisms living in a natural environment, but relatively little has been done to uncover the role of multiple parasites in the wild. Laboratory research points to important ways that parasites can interact within a host, which can lead to both ecological and evolutionary consequences. However, field studies of co-infection are sparse. My research on G. ventalina contributes to the emerging body of work on natural co-infections by evaluating the importance of environmental factors, host resources, and host immunity.
Relevant publication: Octocoral co-infection as a balance between host immunity and host environment

Marine pollution

Host-parasite interactions are a normal part of healthy ecosystems, but environmental stressors can tip the balance in favor of the parasite. For example, conditions that lead to suppressed host immune function can allow a parasite to devastate a host population. In addition to the many large scale stressors that corals must contend with, there are important local stressors that further influence coral health. Pollution is a local stressor that can have devastating effects on marine life, but may also be more tractable to resolve at a local scale. One aspect of my dissertation research focuses on the combined effects of warming oceans and pollutants on disease in G. ventalina. I have also studied the relationship between pollution and disease in Scleractinian corals in Hawaii.
Relevant publication: Linking sewage pollution and water quality to spatial patterns of Porites lobata growth anomalies in Puako, Hawaii

Eco-immunology

The host immune system is central to understanding the ecology and evolution of infectious disease. In addition, studying immunity in marine systems can shed light on the evolution of immunity given the ancient immune systems at work in many marine organisms, such as corals.

I am currently exploring the relationship between ecological factors and immune function in G. ventalina in the Caribbean. One of my projects focuses on the role of the immune system during co-infection, while another investigates the unexpected outcomes of multiple stressors for coral immunity. I am using a combination of histology measurements and gene expression analyses to further the understanding of the immune system in G. ventalina. 
I have also studied immunity in sea stars, lobsters, seagrass, and cattle.
Relevant publication: Up in Arms: Immune and Nervous System Response to Sea Star Wasting Disease

Coral microbial communities

Microbes can play an important role in both healthy and diseased corals. In addition to the microbes that cause disease, there are also microbes that are essential for healthy function and provide critical services to the coral host. I am interested in the role the environment plays in shaping these microbial communities and my dissertation research investigates this question in G. ventalina. In the future, I hope to further pursue questions about the microbial communities in complex environments and the ensuing effects on host populations over short and long time scales.
Relevant publication: Persistent shifts in Caribbean coral microbiota are linked to the 2010 warm thermal anomaly

Marine disease in a changing ocean

Outbreaks of marine infectious diseases have caused widespread mass mortalities, but the lack of baseline data has precluded evaluating the hypothesis that disease is increasing in the ocean. I am currently working on a project to assess multi-decadal trends in marine disease across the recent decades of dramatic, global change. 

Local adaptation and eelgrass wasting disease

In collaboration with Morgan Eisenlord, another Harvell lab graduate student, I am exploring the ecological and evolutionary context of eelgrass wasting disease in the Pacific Northwest. Given the spatial variation in disease prevalence and severity, we are interested in the potential for host and parasite local adaptation in this system. In this project, we are investigating the effects of host and strain variation at Friday Harbors Laboratories.

Future Research Interests:

Immune adaptations, using metagenomics to study the consequences of microbial interactions for health and disease, invasive species, local adaptation, understanding ecology and evolution across scales

Funding Sources

Friday Harbors Laboratories, Graduate Research Grant
Betty Miller Francis ’47 Fund
Cornell Graduate School, Research Travel Grant 
National Geographic Young Explorers, Young Explorers Grant
American Academy of Underwater Sciences, Kathy Johnston
Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Sustainable Biodiversity
The Explorers Club, Student Grants
Paul P. Feeny Graduate Research Fund      
Sigma Xi, Cornell chapter 
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Graduate student grant
Sigma Xi, National chapter 
National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship
Presidential Life Sciences Fellowship, Cornell University

Parguera, Puerto Rico

Parguera, PR is the field site for my disease surveys and laboratory experiments. I am based out of Isla Magueyes, home of the Department of Marine Sciences for the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.