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Abstract
Aetokthonos hydrillicola (Ah) is a newly described epiphytic cyanobacterial species growing on dense aquatic plant infestations in southern US reservoirs. It produces a novel neurotoxin that induces Vacuolar Myelinopathy, neuropathy and mortality in waterbirds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds of prey. On its primary host Hydrilla verticillata, Ah lives in an acidic microenvironment with a consortium of heterotrophic bacteria, including some species attached to the mucilaginous sheath of Ah filaments. My research will address three aspects of Ah and its associated bacteria: (1) The microbiome of hydrilla leaves will be characterized. Ah-colonized leaves from different locations and seasons will be examined. (2) To sequence the Ah genome, the associated heterotrophic bacteria must first be removed because their DNA confounds Ah genome assembly. Methods will be developed to reduce contaminating bacterial levels and to quantify contaminating bacterial levels. (3) The genetic diversity of Ah across sites in the southern US will be determined by comparison of rDNA-ITS sequences. The degree of genetic diversity should provide insight into whether Ah is native to the US or an exotic species imported on hydrilla.