Coral Health & Disease

Dr. Grace Klinges

Postdoctoral Researcher

Dr. Klinges joined the Coral Health & Disease Program at IC2R3 in Fall 2021 after completing her PhD in Microbiology at Oregon State University. Her PhD research centered around the discovery and characterization of a prolific bacterial parasite of Caribbean staghorn coral that contributes to disease susceptibility in this species. Dr. Klinges is a molecular and microbial ecologist who conducts both lab- and reef-based studies at Mote to investigate the mechanisms behind coral stress resistance and to maximize allelic diversity on restored reefs. Her current research centers on the contributions of heritable genetic variability and coral-associated microorganisms to coral stress tolerance.

Education

Ph.D. in Microbiology, Oregon State University, 2021
B.S. in Geology, Haverford College, 2015

Publications

Klinges JG, Patel SH, Duke WC, Muller EM, Vega Thurber RL (2022). Phosphate enrichment induces increased dominance of the parasite Aquarickettsia in the coral Acropora cervicornis, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Volume 98, Issue 2

Williams SD, Klinges JG, Zinman S, Clark AS, Bartels E, Villoch Diaz Maurino M, Muller EM (2022). Geographically driven differences in microbiomes of Acropora cervicornis originating from different regions of Florida’s Coral Reef. PeerJ 10:e13574

J.G. Klinges. (2021) Impacts of Environmental Change on a Newly-characterized Symbiosis between a Novel Bacterial Parasite, Genus Aquarickettsia, and the Coral *Acropora cervicornis*. PhD Dissertation. Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. 314 pp.

Baker, L.J., Reich, H.G., Kitchen, S.A., Klinges, J.G., Koch, H.R., Baums, I.B., Muller, E.M., and Thurber, R.V. (2021). The coral symbiont *Candidatus* Aquarickettsia is variably abundant in threatened Caribbean acroporids and transmitted horizontally. ISME J.

Klinges, J.G., Maher, R.L., Thurber, R.L.V., and Muller, E.M. (2020). Parasitic ‘*Candidatus* Aquarickettsia rohweri’ is a marker of disease susceptibility in *Acropora cervicornis* but is lost during thermal stress. Environmental Microbiology 22, 5341–5355.

Klinges, J.G., Rosales, S.M., McMinds, R., Shaver, E.C., Shantz, A.A., Peters, E.C., Eitel, M., Wörheide, G., Sharp, K.H., Burkepile, D.E., et al. (2019). Phylogenetic, genomic, and biogeographic characterization of a novel and ubiquitous marine invertebrate-associated Rickettsiales parasite, *Candidatus* Aquarickettsia rohweri, gen. nov., sp. nov. The ISME Journal 13, 2938–2953.

Gorsky, G., Bourdin, G., Lombard, F., Pedrotti, M.L., Audrain, S., Bin, N., Boss, E., Bowler, C., Cassar, N., Caudan, L., et al. (2019). Expanding Tara Oceans Protocols for Underway, Ecosystemic Sampling of the Ocean-Atmosphere Interface During Tara Pacific Expedition (2016–2018). Frontiers in Marine Science 6, 750.

Planes, S., Allemand, D., Agostini, S., Banaigs, B., Boissin, E., Boss, E., Bourdin, G., Bowler, C., Douville, E., Flores, J.M., et al. (2019). The Tara Pacific expedition—A pan-ecosystemic approach of the “-omics” complexity of coral reef holobionts across the Pacific Ocean. PLOS Biology 17, e3000483.

Mumford, A.C., Akob, D.M., Klinges, J.G., and Cozzarelli, I.M. (2018). Common Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Additives Alter the Structure and Function of Anaerobic Microbial Communities. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 84, e02729-17.

Akob, D.M., Mumford, A.C., Orem, W., Engle, M.A., Klinges, J.G., Kent, D.B., and Cozzarelli, I.M. (2016). Wastewater Disposal from Unconventional Oil and Gas Development Degrades Stream Quality at a West Virginia Injection Facility. Environ. Sci. Technol. 50, 5517–5525.

Cull, S., Cravotta, C.A., Klinges, J.G., and Weeks, C. (2014). Spectral masking of goethite in abandoned mine drainage systems: Implications for Mars. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 403, 217–224.

Awards & Honors

2018 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Award, Oregon State University, Department of Microbiology, Corvallis, OR

2016 Provost's Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Award, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

2015 ORISE Fellowship, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, Arlington, VA