Three-year survey of abundance, prevalence and genetic diversity of chlorovirus populations in a small urban lake

Cristian F. Quispe, Olivia Sonderman, Anya Seng, Brenna Rasmussen, Garrett Weber, Claire Mueller, David D. Dunigan, James L. Van Etten

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Inland water environments cover about 2.5 percent of our planet and harbor huge numbers of known and still unknown microorganisms. In this report, we examined water samples for the abundance, prevalence, and genetic diversity of a group of infectious viruses (chloroviruses) that infect symbiotic chlorella-like green algae. Samples were collected on a weekly basis for a period of 24 to 36 months from a recreational freshwater lake in Lincoln, Nebraska, and assayed for infectious viruses by plaque assay. The numbers of infectious virus particles were both host- and site-dependent. The consistent fluctuations in numbers of viruses suggest their impact as key factors in shaping microbial community structures in the water surface. Even in low-viral-abundance months, infectious chlorovirus populations were maintained, suggesting either that the viruses are very stable or that there is ongoing viral production in natural hosts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1839-1847
Number of pages9
JournalArchives of Virology
Volume161
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2016

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Virology

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