The world's oceans become more connected through increased global transportation. This transportation has brought organisms to places where they were previously not found. Some of them become invasive and disrupt native marine habitats. Among these invasive species, parasites are particularly troublesome. They are usually small, easily overlooked, and can cause mass mortality of native species. Despite the serious negative impacts of marine invasive parasites, scientists still lack an in-depth understanding of mechanisms that enable them to successfully establish themselves in a new habitat. This project will study three major questions regarding marine invasive parasites' establishment: (1) How do parasites recognize new hosts when arriving at a new habitat? (2) Why can invasive parasites spread so fast to new hosts? (3) How do new host populations maintain viability despite heavy parasite infestation? This study system is the native blue mud shrimp from the Pacific coast of North America; a blood sucking parasite introduced from Asia; and the parasite's original host, the Asian mud shrimp. This project will greatly expand the knowledge of marine invasive biology and help develop effective conservation strategies to avoid unforeseen ecological disasters. A citizen science program will be established in Alaska to monitor population dynamics of the mud shrimp and the parasite. A museum-based outreach program will be established to encourage excitement about marine science in underrepresented elementary and middle school girls. In addition, graduate students, undergraduate students and high school students will participate in research to train the next generation of scientists. This proposal was co-funded by the Symbiosis, Defense and Self-recognition (SDS) program in the Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) Division of the Biological Sciences Directorate and by the Biological Oceanography section of the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) of the Geosciences Directorate.
To characterize interactions between the invasive bopyrid isopod parasite (Orthione griffenis) and the host shrimps (Upogebia pugettensis and Upogebia major), this research program will generate ecological, behavioral, and genetic data over the entire range of the invasion, from California to Alaska. First, metagenomics and behavioral experiments will test whether microbial cues in the host burrows play a major role in attracting parasite larval settlement, aiding the parasite's transition from Asian to North American estuaries. Second, experiments will address whether the lacking of co-evolutionary history between the new host and the parasite, or an "enemy release" for the parasite, is the main driver for the high infectious rate on the new host. The hypotheses will be tested by comparing parasite prevalence on different hosts in their old and new distribution ranges. Lastly, the double digest restriction site-associated DNA approach will be used to investigate the population genomics of the new host. The research addresses multiple-level interactions among the invasive parasite, the new host, the original host, and the marine estuarine microbial communities. Results will serve as a model of bopyrid invasion pattern, and aid the discovery and monitoring of other potential marine parasite invasions or epidemics. A citizen science program and a museum-based outreach program will be established to encourage excitement about marine science in the public. In addition, graduate students, undergraduate students and high school students will participate in research to train the next generation of scientists.
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.
