|
2016 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award winners: http://www.orau.org/university-partnerships/faculty-student-programs/powe/powe-winners.aspx
I was awarded an early career support for my proposal with my collaborator, Carolyn Tepolt (SERC). Our proposal focused on a potential refuge from a castrating parasite, Loxothylacus panopaei, in low salinity waters, with a focus on North Carolina estuaries. This body-snatching parasite is not only reproductively damaging to its crab host, but it also affects the behavior of its host and essentially turns infected crabs into "zombie crabs", which care for the parasite's young as if its their own. The parasite does this by spreading parasitic roots throughout the crab's body, including into the nerve center of the crab. With this award, we will be able to explore parasite prevalence along salinity gradients, run some lab experiments, and explore influences at the genomic level. Comments are closed.
|
|