# Does previous disease exposure influence the temperature-dependent disease response of a marine foundation species, Zostera marina?

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · University of California-Davis (CA) · $1,153,700

## Abstract

Seagrasses are marine flowering plants that provide important benefits, including protection from shoreline erosion and creating habitats that support ecologically and commercially important marine species. They are often infected with a slime-mold pathogen that creates dark brown lesions on the plants, called eelgrass wasting disease. The effects of this disease range from the die-off of entire meadows to smaller declines in plant growth, with the reasons for this variation generally unknown. The disease typically peaks during the summer when temperatures are warmer, highlighting the relationship between temperature and disease. However, plants from different populations vary in how they grow and survive at different temperatures, suggesting that plants that are adapted to cold versus warmer water may show different temperature-dependent responses to the disease. Furthermore, when plants survive the infection, it is unknown if previous exposure to disease influences future plant response to disease in beneficial or harmful ways. In this project, the investigators are testing how plants adapted to different temperatures respond to disease, and how the effects of disease on eelgrass change depending on temperature and the plant’s history of disease. Results will be useful to local, state, and federal agencies, as well as non-profit organizations that manage and restore critical eelgrass habitat. The study is helping identify characteristics of populations that may make them mo

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2516627
- **Awardee organization:** University of California-Davis (CA)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** TX2DAGQPENZ5
- **PI:** Anya L Brown
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** ECCO, Multiple Environmental Stressors, MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY, ECOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
- **Estimated total:** $1,153,700
- **Funds obligated:** $1,153,700
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 09/01/2025 → 08/31/2028

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2516627

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2516627, Does previous disease exposure influence the temperature-dependent disease response of a marine foundation species, Zostera marina?. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-06 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2516627. Licensed CC0.

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