Low virus to prokaryote ratios in the cold: benthic viruses and prokaryotes in a subpolar marine ecosystem (Hornsund, Svalbard)

作者：Wrobel Borys^*; Filippini Manuela; Piwowarczyk Joanna; Kedra Monika; Kulinski Karol; Middelboe Mathias

来源：International Microbiology, 2013, 16(1): 45-52.

DOI：10.2436/20.1501.01.179

• viriobenthos
• bacteriobenthos
• marine sediment
• subpolar ecosystems
• stable isotopes
• Svalbard archipelago (Norway)

The density and spatial distribution of benthic viruses and prokaryotes in relation to biotic and abiotic factors were investigated in sediment cores collected in Hornsund, a permanently cold fjord on the West coast of Svalbard, Norway. The cores were obtained from the mouth of the fiord to the central basin, along a longitudinal transect. The results of our analyses showed lower densities of viruses (0.2 x 10(8) to 5.4 x 10(8) virus-like particles/g) and lower virus-to-prokaryote ratios (0.2-0.6, with the exception of the uppermost layer in the central basin, where the ratio was about 1.2) at the study site than generally found in the temperate areas, despite the relatively high organic matter content in subpolar sediments. Variations in benthic viral and prokaryote abundances along gradients of particle sedimentation rates, phyto-pigment concentrations, and macrobenthic species composition together suggested the influence of particle sedimentation and macrobenthic bioturbation on the abundance and spatial distribution of prokaryotes and viruses in cold habitats.

• 出版日期2013-3