The Reed Education Center and surrounding trailheads are closed to the public until early April 2023 for maintenance. Our trails are open but only accessible from the trailhead near the main campus. Parking is available in the gravel lot on the main campus. Read Plan Your Visit for information on where to park, updated maps and hours, safety, and more.
The Woodlawn History Center is open Fri. & Sat. with extended hours from 10am-2pm!
A grass shrimp parasitized with a male and female bopyrid isopod in the gill chamber and trematode metacercaria in its abdomen. Photo Credit: R. DiMaria
Drs. Jenny Carney and Katrina Lohan with crew members sampling ballast water to test for the presence of microscopic parasites. Photo Credit: K. Holzer
Acanthocephalans, or thorny-headed worms, use their unique heads to burrow through intestine wall of their host. Photo Credit: P. Santos-Ciminera
Our lab examines disease dynamics between eastern oysters and Perkinsus marinus, the causative agent of Dermo disease. Photo credit: K. Borst
Parasitism refers to a complicated relationship between two organisms, where one benefits and the other is harmed. The Coastal Disease Ecology Laboratory at SERC conducts research at the intersection of disease and parasite ecology, examining multi-parasite and multi-host systems across habitats and geographic regions. We examine patterns of marine parasite diversity, the host and habitat specificity of parasites, the ecology of multi-host systems, and the genomic and genetic population diversity of different species and strains of marine parasites. This research incorporates a wide range of parasite and host phyla, and examines the role of environmental reservoirs in the ecology and epidemiology of marine disease.
More specifically, research in the Coastal Disease Ecology Laboratory examines:
1) Parasite Biogeography: Shifting Baselines
2) How Biodiversity Impacts Disease in Aquatic Systems
3) Impacts of Disease and Parasites on Ecosystem Function
4) One Health in the Coastal Zone
Follow our #parasitehunting adventures on Twitter @SERCDiseaseEco
If you are interested in supporting our research, financial contributions can be made here, with the specification "Coastal Disease Ecology Laboratory".