Three-year survey of abundance, prevalence and genetic diversity of chlorovirus populations in a small urban lake

Authors

Cristian F. Quispe, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Olivia Sonderman, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Anya Seng, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Brenna Rasmussen, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Garrett Weber, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Claire Mueller, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
David Dunigan, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
James L. Van Etten, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

4-2016

Citation

Published in Archives of Virology 161 (2016), pp 1839–1847. doi 10.1007/s00705-016-2853-4

Comments

Copyright © 2016 Springer-Verlag Wien. Used by permission.

Abstract

Inland water environments cover about 2.5 percent of our planet and harbor huge numbers of known and still unknown microorganisms. In this report, we examined water samples for the abundance, prevalence, and genetic diversity of a group of infectious viruses (chloroviruses) that infect symbiotic chlorella-like green algae. Samples were collected on a weekly basis for a period of 24 to 36 months from a recreational freshwater lake in Lincoln, Nebraska, and assayed for infectious viruses by plaque assay. The numbers of infectious virus particles were both host- and site-dependent. The consistent fluctuations in numbers of viruses suggest their impact as key factors in shaping microbial community structures in the water surface. Even in low-viral-abundance months, infectious chlorovirus populations were maintained, suggesting either that the viruses are very stable or that there is ongoing viral production in natural hosts.

Includes supplementary figure.