My Second Scientific Paper Is Now Published

I’m proud to say that I’m one of many authors who recently published an article together in the Marine Molecular Biology and Ecology section of Frontiers in Marine Science. That article is titled, “Characterizing host-pathogen interactions between Zostera marina and Labyrinthula zosterae.”

Meadows of eelgrass (Zostera marina) are crucial to coastal ecosystems but have been declining rapidly due to global warming and other anthropogenic stressors. Eelgrass wasting disease, caused by opportunistic Labyrinthula species, is of particular concern, especially as seawater temperatures rise. To better understand the interaction between host and pathogen, the authors paired whole organism physiological assays with dual transcriptomic analysis of both infected Z. marina and infecting L. zosterae

As part of a graduate-level course at Friday Harbor Laboratories on the ecology of infectious marine disease, I was one of several students who led multiple rounds of transcriptomic analysis and manuscript production both during and after the course. The paper represents years of work that began well before I even took that class in 2019, so I’m super thrilled to see that the work is finally published!

Enjoy some photos of my friends and I from that class back in 2019.