Viruses affect picocyanobacterial abundance and biogeography in the North Pacific Ocean

• DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01088-x
• Publication Date: 2022-04-01T16:05:47Z
• Authors: Michael. C. G. Ca...; François Ribalet; Ilia Maidanik; Bryndan P. Durham; Yotam Hulata; Sara Ferrón; Julia Weissenbach; Nitzan Shamir; Svetlana Goldin; Nava Baran; B. B. Cael; David M. Karl; Angelicque E. White; E. Virginia Armbrust; Debbie Lindell
• Keywords: Prochlorococcus; Marine Biology; Biological oceanography

Abstract The photosynthetic picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are models for dissecting how ecological niches defined by environmental conditions, but interactions with bacteriophages affect picocyanobacterial biogeography in open ocean biomes has rarely been assessed. We applied single-virus single-cell infection approaches to quantify cyanophage abundance infected 87 surface water samples from five transects that traversed approximately 2,200 km the North Pacific Ocean on three cruises, a duration of 2–4 weeks, between 2015 2017. detected 550-km-wide hotspot cyanophages virus-infected transition zone Subtropical Subpolar gyres was present each transect. Notably, occurred at consistent temperature displayed distinct cyanophage-lineage composition all transects. On two these transects, levels were estimated be sufficient substantially limit geographical range . Coincident detection high virally picocyanobacteria, we measured an increase 10–100-fold populations usually dominated developed multiple regression model cyanophages, chlorophyll concentrations inferred extended across Ocean, creating biological boundary gyres, potential release organic matter comparable sevenfold-larger Gyre. Our results highlight probable impact viruses large-scale phytoplankton biogeochemistry regions oceans.