Virus dynamics on a high Arctic glacier (Svalbard)

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences
• Main Authors: Anesio, AM, Mindl, B, Laybourn-Parry, J, Sattler, B
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Geophysical Union 2007
• Subjects: Biological Sciences; Microbiology; Microbial Ecology; Arctic; Svalbard; glacier
• Online Access: http://www.agu.org/; https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JG000350; http://ecite.utas.edu.au/49564

[1] Viruses are an abundant and dynamic constituent of microbial communities inaquatic ecosystems. In this study we characterized the abundance of viruses associatedfirst with the bottom sediment and overlying water of cryoconite holes and secondwith shallow ice cores of two different glaciers in Svalbard. Viral abundances were ca.10100 times lower than the average for marine and freshwater ecosystems in temperateregions. Virus to bacterium ratios (VBR) (average > 10, range between 0.7 and 74 in thewater and ice samples) and a strong positive correlation between viral and bacterialabundance ( r = 0.93, p < 0.01, N = 57) indicate that viruses most probably play animportant role in controlling bacterial mortality and hence biogeochemical cycling onglaciers. Samples taken along a transect from the glacier ablation area to proglacial pondsin its forefield showed that viral abundance increased in response to a higher hostavailability, which in turn probably resulted from an increase in temperature and highermineral levels in the ponds. In a transplantation experiment, viruses from cryoconite holeswere incubated with a bacterial community from a proglacial lake. Results from thetransplantation experiment showed that viruses from cryoconite holes were able to infectbacteria from proglacial lakes and thus influence biogeochemical cycles across differentglacial ecosystems. Our data therefore suggest that viruses in cryoconite holes may be ableto infect a broad range of bacterial species.