Aquatic viruses: the greatest reservoir of genetic diversity and drivers of global processes

水生病毒：遗传多样性的最大储存库和全球进程的驱动因素

• 批准号: 185799-2010
• 负责人: Suttle, Curtis
• 金额: $ 4.74万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=476549
• 关键词: Aquatic; viruses; greatest; reservoir; genetic

At abundances of 1 to 100 million per mL, viruses are by far the most numerous "lifeforms" in aquatic systems; if placed end-to-end, viruses in the sea would stretch farther than the nearest 60 galaxies. They are major agents of mortality and are responsible for killing about 20% of the living material, by weight, each day in the world's oceans. Consequently, they are important drivers of biogeochemical cycling and play an important role in structuring planktonic communities. In addition to their ecological and geochemical importance, viruses are by far the largest reservoir of unknown genetic diversity in aquatic systems. The research outlined in this proposal is focused on understanding and quantifying the impact of viruses on marine planktonic systems, and characterizing their enormous genetic and biological diversity. Specifically, we will characterize unusual virus isolates, examine the genetic diversity and distribution of a number of recently discovered virus groups, determine the occurrence of viruses in zooplankton populations and determine the importance of viruses in the recycling of nitrogen. Collectively, this research will lead to major advances in our understanding of aquatic viruses, their genetic diversity and role in nutrient recycling.

在每毫升的1到1亿美元的范围内，病毒是迄今为止水生系统中最多的“生命形式”。如果端到端放置，海中的病毒将比最近的60个星系延伸。他们是死亡率的主要代理商，并负责每天在世界海洋中按重量杀死约20％的生物材料。因此，它们是生物地球化学循环的重要驱动力，并且在构建浮游群落中起着重要作用。除了它们的生态和地球化学重要性外，病毒还是迄今为止水生系统中未知遗传多样性的最大储层。该提案中概述的研究重点是理解和量化病毒对海洋浮游系统的影响，并表征其巨大的遗传和生物学多样性。具体而言，我们将表征异常的病毒分离株，检查许多最近发现的病毒组的遗传多样性和分布，确定浮游动物种群中病毒的发生，并确定病毒在氮气回收中的重要性。总的来说，这项研究将导致我们对水生病毒的理解，其遗传多样性和在营养回收中的作用的重大进展。