Virioplankton distribution and activity in a tropical eutrophicated bay - Ecosystèmes lagunaires : organisation biologique et fonctionnement Access content directly
Journal Articles Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science Year : 2008

Virioplankton distribution and activity in a tropical eutrophicated bay

Abstract

The study of lysogeny in aquatic systems is an often overlooked aspect of microbial ecology, especially in tropical environments. Herein, the fraction of lysogenized cells (FLC) was detected in the surface waters of 20 coastal stations distributed from the eutrophicated shoreline to seaward waters of Hann Bay (Senegal). Concurrently, viral lytic infection rates were extrapolated from the frequency of visibly infected bacterial cells (FVIC), as determined from transmission electron microscopy observations. The experimental induction of prophage was observed in less than 3% of indigenous marine bacteria, suggesting that lysogenic stages of infection are rare in Hann Bay. Similarly, only 0.5-4.7% of bacteria showed visible signs of lytic infection. However, the positive correlation between the fraction of lysogenic and lytic cells (r = 0.67, p < 0.05, n = 20) may actually indicate that the coexistence of both lifestyles may be due to the massive and rapid induction of lysogens, potentially from the high levels of local UV radiation. Overall, we suggest that the determination of FVIC and FLC to examine the predominance of one type of cycle versus the other may be a source of misinterpretation in some particular aquatic environments.
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Dates and versions

hal-00526253 , version 1 (14-10-2010)

Identifiers

  • HAL Id : hal-00526253 , version 1

Cite

Yvan Bettarel, Robert Arfi, Thierry Bouvier, Marc Bouvy, Briand Enora, et al.. Virioplankton distribution and activity in a tropical eutrophicated bay. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2008, 80 (3), pp.425-429. ⟨hal-00526253⟩
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