Tracking putative <i>Microcystis</i> viruses and virus-host associations across distinct phases of a <i>Microcystis</i>-dominated bloom.

ABSTRACT: Viruses significantly impact microbial community composition and function. Yet their role in the fate of freshwater cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs), an increasing threat to freshwater systems, remains poorly understood. Here, we address this with a metagenomic analysis of viruses of bloom-forming Microcystis aeruginosa through a seasonal cHAB in the western basin of Lake Erie. We identified globally distributed Microcystis viruses in Lake Erie based on sequence homology to well-studied isolates. A machine-learning model was then used to predict associations between uncharacterized viral populations and the Microcystis and non-Microcystis hosts of the cHAB. Size fractionation of water samples allowed us to identify significant fraction-specific trends

SUBMITTER: Wing AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12542629 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature