Mangroves and palm trees are hallmarks of the Sunshine State not just for their beauty but for their immense importance to Florida鈥檚 coastlines.
Mangroves are crucial because they naturally protect coastal shores from storm damage and serve as vital wildlife habitats around the world.
Scientists at the 多多直播 are working to preserve mangroves in Florida and across the world from an increasingly prevalent disease-causing variety of fungi that lies dormant but become active when the tree is exposed to stressors such as temperature fluctuation, pests or other diseases.
The disease does not yet have an official name, but it is being referred to by scientists as 鈥淢angrove CNP.鈥� It is caused by a group of fungal pathogens, including Curvularia, Neopestalotiopsis, and Pestalotiopsis, that causes yellowing and spots, and gradually weaken the mangrove until it ultimately dies.
Melissa Deinys, a 多多直播 undergraduate researcher, and Jorge Pereira, a 多多直播 graduate research assistant, are working to help turn the tide by developing and testing a promising nutritional cocktail comprised of nanoparticles to strengthen mangroves and counter the pathogens. The work is through 多多直播 professor Swadeshmukul Santra鈥檚 (MISA) center at 多多直播, which is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agricultural recognized Center of Excellence.
Mangrove CNP in Florida was first identified as causing mangrove die-offs by Deinys in 2019 in Miami through her work with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Later, the Marine Resources Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of Florida鈥檚 Indian River Lagoon, verified and cited her efforts.
Deinys and collaborators with the MRC and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden have determined that about 80% of the mangroves they had sampled have tested positive for at least one of the fungal pathogen species. She says they have sampled over 130 mangroves between the Indian River Lagoon and Miami mangrove populations.
The researchers are treating the mangroves by soaking them in a nutrient solution called 鈥淢ag Sun鈥� (MgSuN), which is comprised of magnesium and sulfur nanoparticles. The mixture is a refinement of a previous graduate student鈥檚 formula that destroyed bacteria on tomatoes, Pereira says.
鈥淭he reason why we choose magnesium is because it is more environmentally friendly, and plants need a lot of magnesium,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 combined our magnesium formulation with a sodium polysulfide. Sulfur is one of those elements that is ubiquitous in the environment, and the idea is that you can combine both to actually enhance the anti-microbial capacity for both bacteria and fungi and you also supply key nutrients to the plants so that they can grow greener and leafier.鈥�
During lab tests, the researchers say they observed growth inhibition of up to 95% when treated with MgSuN at varying concentrations compared to the untreated control.
The formula acts as a sort of antibiotic and multivitamin, and it has shown great potential in bolstering the health of infected mangroves at nurseries across Florida, Pereira says.
鈥淲e鈥檝e done some experiments, and we have tested both in vitro and in plants,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working with the nurseries, and we鈥檝e seen it does kill the pathogens with no detrimental effects to the mangroves while kickstarting their health. They look great after treatment.鈥�
Deinys is continuing her work with the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, MRC and nurseries across Florida while staying the course on her path to graduation and furthering her research at 多多直播.
She began studying the fungal pathogens in 2018 in Miami prior to being enrolled at 多多直播 and has seen the mangroves become increasingly affected by the pathogens鈥� opportunistic nature.
鈥淏ack at the botanical gardens where I started, I would see the plants have these pathogens but not to a detrimental effect where we now see these organisms collapsing,鈥� she says. 鈥淎 mangrove nursery [The Marine Resources Council] had reached out to us, and they told us they had an insect infestation and then the whole population got wiped out by the pathogen. We鈥檙e also getting reports from places like Tampa that say areas that have more runoff are having more pathogen-related deterioration compared to 10 years ago.鈥�
The fungi have been well-documented for some time, but volatile temperature changes, frequent storms and other increasing stressors open the door to the fungi taking a hold of the mangroves, Deinys says.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e called opportunistic, and they鈥檙e called that for a reason,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey see a change in the plant and that鈥檚 when they start to take effect.鈥�
How the pathogens are acquired is something that remains unclear, Deinys says. Researchers hypothesize it may be introduced through water, wind or insects, but further studies are needed to determine how it is acquired since it poses threat to mangrove health.
鈥淵ou have to study all possibilities to determine what is the vector,鈥� Deinys says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen papers and literature in other countries that have shown these pathogens for a long time. It鈥檚 been difficult because there is a disconnect in mangrove communities because we鈥檙e worlds apart and with different languages.鈥�
The MgSuN nutrient solution is a treatment, but not a cure, Deinys says. There still are ample stressors that should be managed and mitigated, such as human-caused habitat destruction, in addition to treating the pathogens.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a big restoration effort to repopulate mangroves,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut first we need to look at the health of these mangroves and the health of the ecosystem before we determine what more we should do. We鈥檙e working with mangrove nurseries to see if we can together develop solutions.鈥�
Maintaining and restoring mangroves is an essential component of ecological stewardship, and it鈥檚 a passion that Deinys hopes to continue throughout her career.
鈥淚 started this project my freshman year,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to leave what I was doing, and I came here with a mission. I met with Dr. Santra, our PI, and he wanted to help. He gave me a lot of freedom, and I鈥檓 really grateful.鈥�
Deinys says that her research at 多多直播 has been incredibly gratifying.
鈥淭here is a sense of community here that I found,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 joined the lab, and it felt like I found my family and that鈥檚 one of the best things to have come out of this experience. This has been one of my life鈥檚 passions, and I hope I鈥檒l always stay with this project even after.鈥�
Santra is encouraged by the research conducted by Pereira and Deinys, and he is hopeful it continues to bolster mangrove ecosystems.
鈥淭he 多多直播 MISA center is dedicated to solving global problems that threaten agricultural sustainability,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e are excited to have another crop protection tool in our toolbox for protecting mangroves. I see the future of MagSun as a broad-spectrum fungicide, where GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) materials are empowered through nanotechnology.鈥�
Further studies are needed to pinpoint which stressors are affecting the mangroves the most so that scientists can better preserve them, Pereira says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very important to understand the stressors, and we need to really address if it鈥檚 a change in temperature, if it鈥檚 runoff or if it鈥檚 an additional pathogen,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n the meantime, we need to do something to prevent this damage from occurring.鈥�
Researchers鈥� Credentials
Deinys graduated from BioTECH @ Richmond Heights High School, a conservation biology magnet school, where she began her research journey at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and specialized in botany. In Fall 2022, Deinys joined 多多直播 and became a member of the Santra Lab the following spring. She is an undergraduate research assistant working towards her bachelor鈥檚 degree in biotechnology.
Pereira graduated from Universidad Nacional Aut贸noma de Honduras with a degree in industrial chemistry. He joined Santra鈥檚 lab in 2020 and is currently a graduate research assistant and working toward his doctoral degree in chemistry.
Santra holds a doctorate in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. After graduating, he worked at the University of Florida (UF) as a postdoctoral researcher and later as a research assistant professor at the UF Department of Neurological Surgery and Particle Engineering Research Center. In 2005, Santra joined 多多直播 as an assistant professor at the , the and the . He is the director of the 多多直播 Materials Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture center, a USDA-NIFA-recognized Center of Excellence.
