Katrina M. Pagenkopp Lohan

MarineGEO Postdoctoral Fellow
Marine Invasions Lab 2012-2014

 Research Interests

Marine parasite diversity, host specificity, population genetics of parasites, prostistan diversity, ecology of infectious diseases, ecological role of reservoir hosts

 

Current Research

My research uses genetic techniques to examine the ecology and evolution of marine parasites. Marine parasites can comprise a large amount of biomass and can be responsible for greatly altering host population dynamics as well as entire ecosystems. Unfortunately, we currently know little about the distribution of marine parasites and other microorganisms in the ocean. Additionally, studies have shown that the detection rate of marine invasions is increasing, but few studies have examined the role or inclusion of parasites in marine invasions. The diversity and distributions of parasites, pathogens, and toxic microorganisms in tropical waters is of particular importance when considering how species range shifts or host switching may occur with global climate change. My project will use a metagenomic approach to characterize the distribution and diversity of microorganisms associated with water samples and bivalves, with particular emphasis on marine parasites, over a latitudinal gradient from the Chesapeake Bay to the coast of Belize. This information can be used to track the future movements of these micoorganisms. This research is a collaborative effort between the Center of Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics at the National Zoological Park and the Marine Invasions Laboratory at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and is a MarineGEO project.

Education and Degrees