The distribution and abundance of viruses in the Southern Ocean during spring
The concentrations of viruses, bacteria, chroococcoid cyanobacteria and chlorophyll a were determined in surface waters of the Southern Ocean during spring. Viral concentrations declined southward from around 4 × 10 6 ml −1 near Tasmania to a minimum of around 1 × 10 6 ml −1 at the Polar Front. Sout...
| Published in: | Antarctic Science |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2000
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102000000481 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102000000481 |
| Summary: | The concentrations of viruses, bacteria, chroococcoid cyanobacteria and chlorophyll a were determined in surface waters of the Southern Ocean during spring. Viral concentrations declined southward from around 4 × 10 6 ml −1 near Tasmania to a minimum of around 1 × 10 6 ml −1 at the Polar Front. South of the Front, virus concentrations increased again, reaching around 4 × 10 6 ml −1 in the sea-ice zone south of 60°S. Bacterial concentration decreased southwards across the Southern Ocean from around 6.5 × 10 5 ml −1 near Tasmania to < 1.0 × 10 5 ml −1 in the sea-ice zone. Cyanobacteria accounted for < 8% of the prokaryotes. There was no significant relationship between viral abundance and eithercyanobacterial or chl a concentration. Viral and bacterial concentrations were not significantly correlated north ( P {0.10 < r < 0.20}) or south ( P {0.20 < r < 0.5}) of the Polar Front. The virus to bacteria ratio (VBR) was between 3 and 15 in the open ocean but varied between 15 and 40 in the sea-ice region. These virus concentrations and VBRs indicate that viruses are no less important in Southern Ocean ecosystems than elsewhere in the world's oceans. |
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