Project: Collaborative Research: VIDA Seagrass: Viral Infection Dynamics Among Seagrass

NSF Award Abstract:
Seagrasses are marine flowering plants (or angiosperms) that create expansive underwater meadows that form the basis of highly productive and valuable ecosystems in coastal oceans. Unlike terrestrial systems where angiosperms dominate plant diversity, seagrasses are the only flowering plants in marine environments. Based on the profound impacts of viral infections on terrestrial plants, viruses are expected to influence seagrass ecology. However, no prior work has investigated viral infection dynamics in seagrasses or the impact of viruses on seagrass health. This project provides fundamental knowledge about seagrass-virus interactions through field and laboratory studies of Thalassia testudinum (i.e., turtlegrass, a climax species and key ecosystem engineer), and turtlegrass virus X (TVX), the only seagrass virus currently reported from experimental research. The lack of a seagrass-virus study system has kept the scientific community from learning which factors drive viral infection in marine angiosperms. By establishing the first seagrass-virus study system, a novel virus-host pathosystem for which virtually nothing is known, this project contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of seagrass ecology and serves as a model for investigating the growing number of seagrass viruses discovered through sequencing efforts. This multifaceted project trains one postdoctoral researcher, two graduate students, and six undergraduate students. Dissemination of results and data through open access channels informs the broader community and provides scientists with data for their own research to propel the field of seagrass virology. This project also engages educators and students participating in programs that strive to increase participation from underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Teachers from the Jacksonville Teacher Residency Program are getting involved through development of lessons that dive into seagrass biology. Students from Girls Incorporated, Girl Scouts, and the University of South Florida’s Oceanography Camp for Girls are participating as citizen scientists by photographing Tampa Bay’s seagrass ecosystems and contributing their observations to the Seagrass Spotter website. This project also increases awareness of seagrass ecosystems and challenges the public perception that all viruses are pathogenic through hands-on activities at the annual St. Petersburg Science Festival.

Seagrass-virus interactions are being investigated through a two-tiered approach involving field studies in Tampa Bay, Florida and microcosm experiments. Field surveys focus on elucidating the nature of turtlegrass-TVX interactions (positive, neutral or negative) and the relationship between turtlegrass genotypic diversity and virus distribution in a natural population where TVX has persisted for at least five years. TVX load is monitored bimonthly over two years to assess how viral load relates to turtlegrass genotype and performance (growth, health, reproductive effort), and abiotic parameters. The investigated turtlegrass meadow contains TVX-positive and negative specimens, thus providing a perfect natural laboratory with homogenous environmental characteristics that allow exploration of the drivers of viral infection. Given that environmental changes may alter host-microbe interactions, complementary microcosm experiments are evaluating turtlegrass responses to TVX infection at the physiological (survival, photochemical capacity, cellular responses) and molecular (transcriptomic) levels in a controlled environment under normal conditions and in the context of salinity changes, an important seagrass stressor. Microcosm experiments also provide the first profiles of seagrass gene expression and measurement of cellular metabolites in response to viral infection. Expected results have direct implications for understanding seagrass production and resilience in the face of global climate change and anthropogenic stress.

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.