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Updated: Jul 25, 2025
09:40
Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
Published on: June 11, 2015
12.2K
Top-heavy trophic structure within benthic viral dark matter
Ethan C Cissell1, Sophie J McCoy1
1Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Environmental Microbiology
|June 28, 2023
Summary
This study reveals viruses are active in coral reef cyanobacterial mats, showing a top-heavy trophic structure. It provides a new database of Caribbean mat viruses (vMAT) for understanding reef health.
Area of Science:
- Marine Microbiology
- Viral Ecology
- Coral Reef Ecology
Background:
- Coral reefs face degradation, with benthic cyanobacterial mats being a significant factor.
- Understanding viral roles in these proliferating mats is crucial for predicting ecosystem dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize viral communities and virus-host interactions in Caribbean coral reef benthic cyanobacterial mats.
- To assess the trophic structure and ecological significance of viruses within these mat ecosystems.
Main Methods:
- Deep longitudinal multi-omic sequencing (ssDNA, dsDNA, dsRNA viruses) of mat samples.
- Genomic analyses including gene-sharing networks to identify viral novelty.
- Analysis of virus-host abundance and activity ratios using coverage data.
Main Results:
- 11,012 unique viral populations from at least 10 viral families were identified.
- Evidence of extensive genomic novelty among mat viruses was found.
- Virus-host abundance and activity ratios consistently exceeded 1:1, indicating a top-heavy trophic structure.
Conclusions:
- Viruses are active and significant components of coral reef benthic cyanobacterial mat communities.
- The study establishes the vMAT database, a valuable resource for Caribbean coral reef research.
- Findings have implications for understanding mat functional ecology, demography, and coral reef health.
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