Viruses and Protists Induced-mortality of Prokaryotes around the Antarctic Peninsula during the Austral Summer

• Published in: Frontiers in Microbiology
• Main Authors: Vaque, Dolors, Boras, Julia A., Torrent-Llagostera, Francesc, Agusti, Susana, Arrieta, J M, Lara, Elena, Castillo, Yaiza M., Duarte, Carlos M., Sala, Maria M.
• Other Authors: Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, Marine Science Program, Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona, Spain, Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR), National Research Council, Venezia, Italy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Frontiers Media SA 2017
• Subjects: viruses; prokaryotes; protists; lysis; lysogeny; mortality; temperature; Antarctic waters; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Bellingshausen Sea; Bransfield Strait; Weddell Sea
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/623117; https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.00241

During the Austral summer 2009 we studied three areas surrounding the Antarctic Peninsula: the Bellingshausen Sea, the Bransfield Strait and the Weddell Sea. We aimed to investigate, whether viruses or protists were the main agents inducing prokaryotic mortality rates, and the sensitivity to temperature of prokaryotic heterotrophic production and mortality based on the activation energy (Ea) for each process. Seawater samples were taken at seven depths (0.1-100 m) to quantify viruses, prokaryotes and protists abundances, and heterotrophic prokaryotic production (PHP). Viral lytic production, lysogeny, and mortality rates of prokaryotes due to viruses and protists were estimated at surface (0.1-1 m) and at the Deep Fluorescence Maximum (DFM, 12-55 m) at eight representative stations of the three areas. The average viral lytic production ranged from 1.0 +/- 0.3 x 10(7) viruses ml(-1) d(-1) in the Bellingshausen Sea to1.3 +/- 0.7 x 10(7) viruses ml(-1) d(-1) in the Bransfield Strait, while lysogeny, when detectable, recorded the lowest value in the Bellingshausen Sea (0.05 +/- 0.05 x 10(7) viruses ml(-1) d(-1)) and the highest in the Weddell Sea (4.3 +/- 3.5 x 10(7) viruses ml(-1) d(-1)). Average mortality rates due to viruses ranged from 9.7 +/- 6.1 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) d(-1) in the Weddell Sea to 14.3 +/- 4.0 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) d(-1) in the Bellingshausen Sea, and were higher than averaged grazing rates in the Weddell Sea (5.9 +/- 1.1 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) d(-1)) and in the Bellingshausen Sea (6.8 +/- 0.9 x 10(4) cells ml-1 d(-1)). The highest impact on prokaryotes by viruses and main differences between viral and protists activities were observed in surface samples: 17.8 +/- 6.8 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) d(-1) and 6.5 +/- 3.9 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) d(-1) in the Weddell Sea; 22.1 +/- 9.6 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) d(-1) and 11.6 +/- 1.4 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) d(-1) in the Bransfield Strait; and 16.1 +/- 5.7 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) d(-1) and 7.9 +/- 2.6 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) d(-1) in the Bellingshausen Sea, respectively. ...