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Graduate Advisor
Dr. Cliff Ross
Research Interests"In the broadest sense, I am
driven by the idea of finding an interface between awareness through scientific
inquiry and striving for a sustainable future for the marine environment
through the use of that knowledge. The foundation of my thesis work aligns with
this interest, as I seek to elucidate the dynamics of the host-pathogen
interaction that leads to seagrass wasting disease, whose periodic decimation
of regional seagrass species throughout history is so substantial that it
frequently triggers ecosystem wide collapses. The causative agent of the
epidemic is Labyrinthula, a group of
parasitic slime molds. I’ve chosen to focus on wasting disease prevalence in Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass), due
to its fundamental role as a primary producer in shallow tropics around the
world and whose populations have been historically plagued by Labyrinthula
infection. More specifically, the overarching goal of my research is to
define and draw correlations between host immune measures, site-specific
environmental variability, pathogen prevalence, and host genotype. This study
is especially meaningful when we place it within the context of anthropogenic
impact and the compounding associated stressors it imposes on coastal
ecosystems in particular. The expectation is that host susceptibility to Labyrinthula will be intimately linked
to the condition of its environment. Bleak projections concerning the health of
our coastal ecosystems the near future demand advances in our understanding of
this complex interaction to facilitate the development of more informed
conservation management techniques."
Education
B.S. Biology, University of North Florida |
