A deadly disease is attacking Florida mangroves. UCF researchers think they have a solution

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida’s mangroves act as a shield for our coasts against potential storm damage, while also serving as a home for wildlife like various types of fish and other sea creatures.

Researchers at UCF are finding ways to protect this natural barrier from a deadly disease that’s attacking them.

Melissa Deinys, an undergraduate student and researcher at the University of Central Florida, along with Jorge Pereira, a graduate research assistant are the main people behind this project.

The disease that is harming these trees is not named but scientists have been calling it “Mangrove CNP.” It’s caused by fungi pathogens that become deadly when activated.

The researchers are working on a “nutritional cocktail” made up of nanoparticles that would be used to strengthen the tree as well as fight off the pathogens that are causing harm.

It is estimated that there are over 600,000 acres of mangrove forests that help protect Florida’s southern coastal zone and other areas around the state, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

There are three main types of mangroves found in Florida with the most well-known being the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle).

Deinys was in Miami in 2019 when she first identified that Mangrove CNP was causing mangrove trees to start dying.

The Marine Research Council later tested her theory and verified her findings, according to UCF.

Deinys and other groups started testing more mangroves and found that around 80% of the mangroves they sampled had tested positive for one or more of the fungi pathogens that were affecting these trees.

Most of these Fungi are dormant but get activated when the trees are exposed to certain environmental factors such as temperature changes, various insects, and other types of diseases that attack other trees and plants.

The research for this project is taking place over at the Materials Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) center at UCF through UCF Professor Swadeshmukul Santra.

As of right now, there is no cure for Mangrove CNP, but researchers say the special nutritional cocktail is one of the best ways to help combat the disease killing off the trees.

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