Ecological Interaction between Bacteriophages and Bacteria in Sub-Arctic Kongsfjorden Bay, Svalbard, Norway

• Published in: Microorganisms
• Main Authors: Kang Eun Kim, Hyoung Min Joo, Yu Jin Kim, Donhyug Kang, Taek-Kyun Lee, Seung Won Jung, Sun-Yong Ha
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2024
• Subjects: metagenomics; bacteriophage; bacteria; Kongsfjorden Bay; sub-Arctic zone; ecological interaction; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Kongsfjord*; Kongsfjorden; Svalbard
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12020276; https://doaj.org/article/33ad742ed5474bacb38e8f874c1f2c45

Marine virus diversity and their relationships with their hosts in the marine environment remain unclear. This study investigated the co-occurrence of marine DNA bacteriophages (phages) and bacteria in the sub-Arctic area of Kongsfjorden Bay in Svalbard (Norway) in April and June 2018 using metagenomics tools. Of the marine viruses identified, 48–81% were bacteriophages of the families Myoviridae , Siphoviridae , and Podoviridae . Puniceispirillum phage HMO-2011 was dominant (7.61%) in April, and Puniceispirillum phage HMO-2011 (3.32%) and Pelagibacter phage HTVC008M (3.28%) were dominant in June. Gammaproteobacteria (58%), including Eionea flava (14.3%) and Pseudomonas sabulinigri (12.2%), were dominant in April, whereas Alphaproteobacteria (87%), including Sulfitobacter profundi (51.5%) and Loktanella acticola (32.4%), were dominant in June. The alpha diversity of the bacteriophages and bacterial communities exhibited opposite patterns. The diversity of the bacterial community was higher in April and lower in June. Changes in water temperature and light can influence the relationship between bacteria and bacteriophages.