NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in Japan

Keogh Carolyn L, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds Carolyn Keogh of University of Georgia to conduct a research project in Biological Sciences during the summer of 2013 at Kochi University in Kochi, Japan. The project title is "Ecoimmunology of Invasions: Testing the Effect of Parasite Release on Investment in Immune Defense." The host scientists are Dr. Gyo Itani and Dr. Osamu Miura. Invasive species are thought to experience a reprieve from regulation by natural enemies such as parasites and predators, which may contribute to the demographic success they often achieve in their recipient ranges. This project uses a highly invasive marine invertebrate, the Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, as a model system for testing the effect of parasite release on energy allocation and susceptibility to future infections. The project compares important defense and fitness traits between individuals from the invasive and native populations using techniques from the fast-growing field of ecoimmunology to determine whether resource allocation to immune defenses trades off with investment in other fitness components. The goal of this project is to contribute a new perspective to our understanding of the short- and long-term consequences of enemy escape for invasive species success. Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, the collaboration will increase possibilities for sharing knowledge and resources that will help advance the science of invasion biology in this system and others by increasing intellectual exchange between the two labs and home institutions.