Assessing Viral Abundance and Community Composition in Four Contrasting Regions of the Southern Ocean.

ABSTRACT: We explored how changes of viral abundance and community composition among four contrasting regions in the Southern Ocean relied on physicochemical and microbiological traits. During January-February 2015, we visited areas north and south of the South Orkney Islands (NSO and SSO) characterized by low temperature and salinity and high inorganic nutrient concentration, north of South Georgia Island (NSG) and west of Anvers Island (WA), which have relatively higher temperatures and lower inorganic nutrient concentrations. Surface viral abundance (VA) was highest in NSG (21.50 ± 10.70 × 106 viruses mL-1) and lowest in SSO (2.96 ± 1.48 × 106 viruses mL-1). VA was positively correlated with temperature, prokaryote abundance and prokaryotic heterotrophic production, chlorophyll a, diatoms, haptop

SUBMITTER: Sotomayor-Garcia A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7400478 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature