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Project properties |
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| Title | Disease at ease? Climate change impacts on phytoplankton parasites |
| Group | Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 24, 30, 33, 36 |
| Supervisor(s) | Thijs Frenken, Dedmer van der Waal, Edwin Peeters |
| Examiner(s) | M Scheffer |
| Contact info | Thij Frenken: t.frenken@nioo.knaw.nl
Edwin Peeters: edwin.peeters@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2014/11/01 |
| End date | 2015/07/01 |
| Description | The dynamics of phytoplankton communities differ greatly in both time and space. These dynamics strongly depend on factors that affect growth and mortality of individual species or genotypes. Important mortality factors include species specific grazing, or infection by parasites that can even select for genotypes. Chytrids are fungal parasites which are often host specific, highly infective, and extremely virulent. Indeed, up to 90% of a phytoplankton host population may be infected, leading to similar high mortalities. Until now, however, only little is known about processes underlying fungal parasitism by chytrids.
The aim of this project is to gain insight in the role of chytrids in the aquatic environment. Several laboratory experiments can be performed using different groups of phytoplankton, including diatoms, green algae and cyanobacteria. Research questions can be discussed, and may include ‘What environmental factors drive the success rate of a parasite?’ or ‘What is the impact of climate change on parasite infectivity?’ These questions will be answered by means of laboratory batch experiments, using techniques such as phytoplankton and parasite culturing, elemental analysis, and microscopy. |
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