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Laura D. Mydlarz, Ph.D.

Laura Mylarz    

Associate Professor, Biology

College of Science

817-272-2871, mydlarz@uta.edu

http://www.uta.edu/faculty/mydlarz/Mydlarz_Lab/Mydlarz_Lab.html
Academic Background

PhD in Marine Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2004

MS in Biology, Florida Atlantic University, 1998

Areas of Sustainability/Environmental Expertise

Coral reef ecosystems have sustained some of the most damaging effects of climate change. Despite demonstrated impacts and high mortality caused by temperature stress, little information exists on how variations in temperature and other abiotic stressors affect the quality of coral immune responses and ability to fight infectious diseases. The Mydlarz lab investigates how corals fight disease and what impact environmental stress such as climate change has on these mechanisms.

Summary of Current and Ongoing Research

Ecological Immunity of corals under climate stress

Stress responses of coral symbionts

Effects of climate change on virulence factors in marine pathogens

Publications and Research

Recent Publications:

Mydlarz, L.D., Couch, C.S., Weil, E., Smith, G., and C.D. Harvell (In press). Immune defenses of healthy, bleached and diseased Montastraea faveolata during a natural bleaching event. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms.

Palmer, C.V., Modi, C.K. and Mydlarz, L.D. (In press). Coral fluorescent proteins as antioxidants. PLoS One.

Palmer C.V., Mydlarz, L.D., and B.L. Willis. 2008. Evidence of an inflammatory-like response in non-normally pigmented tissues of two scleractinian corals. Proceedings of the Royal Society-B-Biological Sciences DOI:10.1098/rspb.2008.0335.

Mydlarz L.D., Holthouse, S.F., Peters, E.C. and C.D Harvell. 2008. Cellular responses in sea fan corals: Granular amoebocytes react to pathogen and climate stressors. PLoS One,3(3): e1811. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001811

Couch, C.S., Mydlarz, L.D., Harvell, C.D. and N.L. Douglas. 2008. Variation in measures of immuncompetence of sea fan coral, Gorgonia ventalina, in the Florida Keys. Marine Biology. 155:281–292. DOI 10.1007/s00227-008-1024-x

Ellner, S.E., L.E. Jones, L.D. Mydlarz and C.D. Harvell. 2007. Within-host disease ecology in the sea fan Gorgonia ventalina: modeling the spatial immunodynamics of a coral-pathogen interaction. American Naturalist. Vol. 170, 6.

Awards and Grants

Recent Publications:

Mydlarz, L.D., Couch, C.S., Weil, E., Smith, G., and C.D. Harvell (In press). Immune defenses of healthy, bleached and diseased Montastraea faveolata during a natural bleaching event. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms.

Palmer, C.V., Modi, C.K. and Mydlarz, L.D. (In press). Coral fluorescent proteins as antioxidants. PLoS One.

Palmer C.V., Mydlarz, L.D., and B.L. Willis. 2008. Evidence of an inflammatory-like response in non-normally pigmented tissues of two scleractinian corals. Proceedings of the Royal Society-B-Biological Sciences DOI:10.1098/rspb.2008.0335.

Mydlarz L.D., Holthouse, S.F., Peters, E.C. and C.D Harvell. 2008. Cellular responses in sea fan corals: Granular amoebocytes react to pathogen and climate stressors. PLoS One,3(3): e1811. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001811

Couch, C.S., Mydlarz, L.D., Harvell, C.D. and N.L. Douglas. 2008. Variation in measures of immuncompetence of sea fan coral, Gorgonia ventalina, in the Florida Keys. Marine Biology. 155:281–292. DOI 10.1007/s00227-008-1024-x

Ellner, S.E., L.E. Jones, L.D. Mydlarz and C.D. Harvell. 2007. Within-host disease ecology in the sea fan Gorgonia ventalina: modeling the spatial immunodynamics of a coral-pathogen interaction. American Naturalist. Vol. 170, 6.