Impact of Viral Lysis on the Composition of Bacterial Communities and Dissolved Organic Matter in Deep-Sea Sediments.

ABSTRACT: Viral lysis is a main mortality factor for bacteria in deep-sea sediments, leading to changing microbial community structures and the release of cellular components to the environment. Nature and fate of these compounds and the role of viruses for microbial diversity is largely unknown. We investigated the effect of viruses on the composition of bacterial communities and the pool of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by setting up virus-induction experiments using mitomycin C with sediments from the seafloor of the Bering Sea. At the sediment surface, no substantial prophage induction was detected, while incubations from 20 cm below seafloor showed a doubling of the virus-to-cell ratio. Ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry revealed an imprint of cell lysis on the molecular composition of DO

SUBMITTER: Heinrichs ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7552059 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature