Collaborative Proposal: The Behavioral and Ecological Effects of Viral Disease in Caribbean Spiny Lobster

Old Dominion University Research Foundation, Norfolk VA

Investigators

Abstract

Although the ecological consequences of viruses in marine systems are potentially enormous, studies of their role as pathogens of metazoans and their effects on host population ecology are in their infancy. A poorly explored area of pathogen-host interactions is the effect of pathogens on the behavior of uninfected members of the host population, and the consequences of such behavior on host population dynamics. A lethal, pathogenic herpes-like virus that infects Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) has recently been discovered in the Florida Keys. Preliminary studies indicate that this disease not only alters the behavior of infected individuals, but also causes remarkable changes in the social behavior of healthy individuals in response to diseased conspecifics. Behavioral responses to disease have potentially far reaching repercussions for the spatial structure, recruitment, and transmission of pathogens in lobster populations. Traditional fishing practices may also contribute to the spread of this pathogen. The goal of this project is to determine the current incidence, mode of transmission, behavioral and ecological consequences, and potential population-level impacts of this newly discovered disease. Specifically, the investigators will: (1) Expand preliminary field surveys to document the current distribution and prevalence of this disease in adult and juvenile lobsters, as well as in other potential viral reservoirs in the Florida Keys. (2) Determine through laboratory experiments whether the pathogen is transmitted among lobsters by contact, water-borne particles, or ingestion of infected tissue, and whether transmission rates are affected by size (age), gender, condition, or injury. (3) Use laboratory experiments and field mark-recapture studies to test the effect of the disease on pivotal aspects of lobster behavior, population dynamics, and spatial structure that may influence the spread of the disease in this gregarious animal. (4) Develop and implement a diagnostic immunological assay to identify infected lobsters during the early stages of the disease. (5) Incorporate the information obtained in Objectives 1 - 3 into a spatially-explicit, individual-based lobster recruitment model to determine if the aversion of uninfected lobsters to infected conspecifics, or practices employed in the lobster fishery, alter the spread of the disease.