Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G19AS00107

Opportunity Information: Apply for G19AS00107

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU funding opportunity (G19AS00107) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) cooperative agreement meant to support research assistance focused on Sea star wasting disease (SSWD). This is a discretionary Department of the Interior award in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category (CFDA 15.808). The opportunity was designed for a CESU partner (with eligibility described under the program's additional eligibility guidance) and was structured as a single anticipated award with a maximum budget of $44,000.

The central purpose of the project is to help address major scientific unknowns surrounding SSWD, a disease syndrome affecting sea stars (asteroids within Echinodermata) that has been observed in multiple regions worldwide. The notice emphasizes that SSWD is not a single neatly defined illness but a cluster of outward signs and disease trajectories. These can include twisting of the rays (arms), loss of turgor (the firm, inflated appearance typical of healthy animals), limb autotomy (self-amputation), development of lesions, progressive tissue loss, and, in severe cases, death. The scale of impact described is substantial: since 2013, SSWD has been reported in about 20 species along the North American Pacific coast, and in some locations it has driven more than a 95 percent reduction in total biomass of key species, including the sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides), which is often treated as ecologically important because of its role in coastal food webs.

A key motivation behind the award is that the cause of SSWD remains unresolved. The announcement notes that there is currently no formal case definition for any affected sea star species, which is a practical barrier to consistent diagnosis, surveillance, and comparison of findings across studies and regions. Prior comparative histology work (looking at tissue changes under the microscope in clinically normal versus wasting individuals) has identified recurring patterns such as vacuolization and necrosis in the outer epidermis and cuticle, along with edema and cleft formation between the outer epidermis and the underlying mutable collagenous tissue. These findings suggest that the disease process may involve breakdown or separation of key tissue layers that are critical for sea star integrity and function.

The opportunity also frames the microbiological picture as complex and inconclusive. Microbiome investigations, including bacterial, archaeal, and viral assessments, have not identified a single consistent microorganism that reliably explains the syndrome across cases. At the same time, the notice highlights a pattern observed during disease progression: the subcuticular microbiome appears to shift from communities dominated by aerobic taxa to communities dominated by obligate anaerobes. That shift is important because it suggests changing local conditions at the tissue surface (for example, reduced oxygen availability) as wasting advances, even if it does not yet pinpoint an initiating pathogen.

Finally, the notice flags broader environmental stressors as plausible contributors or amplifiers. It specifically mentions the possibility that global warming and ocean acidification may play a role, aligning the project with larger concerns about how climate-driven changes can influence host physiology, microbial community dynamics, and disease susceptibility or severity in marine ecosystems. Overall, the grant is a targeted, modestly funded, single-award cooperative effort to strengthen the evidence base around SSWD, with an emphasis on improving understanding of disease characteristics, tissue-level pathology, and microbial and environmental associations that may help move the field toward clearer definitions and more actionable diagnostic or monitoring approaches.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 09, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 26, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $44,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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