Proliferative and viability effects of two cyanophages on freshwater bloom-forming species Microcystis aeruginosa and Raphidiopsis raciborskii vary between strains.

ABSTRACT: Viruses that infect cyanobacteria are an integral part of aquatic food webs, influencing nutrient cycling and ecosystem health. However, the significance of virus host range, replication efficiency, and host compatibility on cyanobacterial dynamics, growth, and toxicity remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the effects of cyanophage additions on the dynamics and activity of optimal, sub-optimal, and non-permissive cyanobacterial hosts in cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa and Raphidiopsis raciborskii. Our findings reveal that cross-infectivity can substantially reduce the proliferative success of the cyanophage under conditions of high-density of sub-optimal hosts which suggests phage dispersal limitation as a result of shared infections, in turn impairing their top-down co

SUBMITTER: Tokodi N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11761051 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature