「Interaction between bacteria and viruses in the oligotrophic marine environment」

Chiaki Motegi

Viruses are ubiquitous and most abundant biological agent in the ocean. Viral infection accounts for a significant fraction of bacterial mortality in the marine environments, but biogeochemical implications of this process are not well understood. The impact of viruses on nutrient cycling is crucial especially in the oligotrophic environment. Recent studies have found that phosphorus is one of the limiting nutrients in several marine systems including the Mediterranean Sea. In this seminar, I would like to talk about the microcosm experiment which I performed in the P-limited NW Mediterranean Sea to investigate the effects of virus and phosphate enrichments on bacterial activities. I also will introduce about the bacterial-viral interactions in the aquatic systems.