Cole Zingas
BS ’17
As the waves crash along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in late August, the National Park Service is wary of another impending die-off event that could impact hundreds of birds. The culprit? Avian botulism. Mainly during the fall season, waterfowl in the Great Lakes ingest a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which emerges from its resting state to proliferate and produce this deadly toxin. This toxin is thought to be produced within decaying algal mats, called Cladophora, that ravage the lakes. By implementing various combinations of suspected environmental stressors in Cladophora enrichment cultures in the lab, we expect to experimentally uncover the conditions that promote the toxin production in the algal mats. Our results will be incorporated into an avian botulism outbreak model, which would allow better prediction of outbreaks and inform management practices for the preservation and conservation of the lakeshore ecosystem. Our study aims to enhance the visitor experience at Michigan lakeshores, promote citizen scientist participation, enhance sensitive bird populations, and the positively contribute to the surrounding ecosystem through collaboration with the National Park Service and the public.
Library Mentor: Scott Martin