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Related Experiment Videos

Here a virus, there a virus, everywhere the same virus?

Mya Breitbart1, Forest Rohwer

  • 1Biology Department, LS301, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA 92182 USA.

Trends in Microbiology
|June 7, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Earth hosts vast viral diversity, primarily bacteriophages. While local environments teem with unique viral genotypes, global viral diversity may be limited due to inter-biome movement facilitating gene transfer.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Microbial Ecology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Viruses are abundant on Earth, with bacteriophages being the most common type.
  • Environmental viral communities exhibit remarkable genetic diversity, as revealed by metagenomic analyses.
  • Studies indicate viruses can traverse different biomes, influencing microbial ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the scale of viral diversity across Earth's biomes.
  • To explore the implications of viral mobility on global genetic diversity.
  • To understand the role of viruses in horizontal gene transfer.

Main Methods:

  • Metagenomic sequencing of environmental samples (seawater, marine sediment).
  • Culturing studies to assess viral viability and host range.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Molecular analyses to track viral movement between biomes.

    • Main Results:

    • An estimated 10^31 viruses exist globally, dominated by phages.
    • High viral genotype density observed locally (e.g., 5000 in 200L seawater, 1 million in 1kg marine sediment).
    • Evidence of viral movement across different environmental biomes.

    Conclusions:

    • Local viral diversity is exceptionally high, but global diversity might be constrained.
    • Viral inter-biome mobility plays a significant role in shaping global viral populations.
    • Viruses act as key vectors for horizontal gene transfer, impacting microbial evolution.