Viral lysis of marine microbes in relation to vertical stratification
The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate how changes in vertical stratification affect autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial communities along a meridional gradient in the Atlantic Ocean. The Northeast Atlantic Ocean is a key area in global ocean circulation and a important sink for atmosp...
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| Format: | Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11245/1.487499 |
| Summary: | The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate how changes in vertical stratification affect autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial communities along a meridional gradient in the Atlantic Ocean. The Northeast Atlantic Ocean is a key area in global ocean circulation and a important sink for atmospheric CO2. In addition, stratification varies in the North Atlantic from strong permanent stratification in the (sub)tropics to weak seasonal stratification in the North and thus provides an ideal model system to investigate the role of vertical stratification in structuring microbial communities. In order to mechanistically understand the ecological relevance of stratification in structuring microbial populations this thesis specifically aims to (1) provide a comprehensive overview of what is currently known regarding how environmental factors can regulated virus-host interactions in the marine environment, (2) determine the physicochemical mechanisms structuring phytoplankton communities over a large scale gradient in stratification, (3) determine the relative contribution of viral lysis and grazing to the mortality of phytoplankton and heterotrophic prokaryotes along a north-south gradient regulated by strong stratification and (4) place these finding in the context of implications for the flow of carbon through the marine food web in the present and future North Atlantic Ocean. |
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