Upcoming Events
PhD Dissertation Proposal Defense - Environmental Science & Policy
May 3, 2024, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Johnson Center Meeting Room E, Room 334
PhD Dissertation Proposal
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
College of Science
George Mason University
Candidate: Lauren Fuchs
Defense Date and Time: May 3, 2024 at 10:00 am
Defense Location: Johnson Center Meeting Room E, Room 334
Title: Examination of taxonomic, habitat, and landscape characteristics that predict snakeskin microbial communities and their role as an innate defense mechanism against the fungal pathogen, Ophidiomyces ophidiicola
Dissertation Director: Haw Chuan Lim
Committee: Jennifer Salerno, Todd Tupper, Carly Muletz Wolz, Arndt Laemmerzahl
ABSTRACT
Snakes are experiencing population declines on a global scale, further compounded by an increasing incidence of ophidiomycosis, a mycotic infection caused by the pathogen Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo). Susceptibility to Oo varies significantly between hosts and across spatial extents, however the factors that influence these patterns are still unclear. There is growing consideration for the role of the host skin microbiome as a first line of defense against Oo. This dissertation will explore the role of host species and habitat in shaping the snakeskin microbiome, and how variability in microbiome composition may influence the outcome of interactions between host and pathogen.