Asterionella chytrids

The project in a nutshell:

Our project aims to investigate the impact of rising water temperatures, on the parasitic relationship between the Diatom Asterionella formosa and the Chytrid Zygorhizidium planktonicum in Lake Geneva. This exploration will help understand how temperature fluctuations influence the dynamics of this host-parasite relationship, and carbon fluxes to the lakes’ sediment. Indeed, uninfected Asterionella drives substantial carbon fluxes to lake sediment during spring blooms. However, higher winter temperatures and changes in infection rates could affect Asterionella’s spring bloom formation, in turn reshaping spring bloom communities, impacting lakes’ food webs and carbon fluxes. We will develop a fundamental theoretical and empirical understanding of the temperature dependence of host-parasite interactions, while addressing the consequences of environmental change for ecosystem processes. 

Team members

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