Collaborative Research: Ecology of Viruses in an Alkaline, Hypersaline Lake, Mono Lake, California

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Non-Technical SummaryPI names: Jiang, Sunny (collaborating with Jellison, R.S. & Steward, G.F)Institution: University of California - Irvine (collaborating with University of California - Santa Barbara & University of Hawaii - Manoa)Proposal Number: DEB-0130528 (collaborating with DEB-0129160 & DEB-0129174)Proposal Title: Collaborative Research: Ecology of Viruses in an Alkaline, Hypersaline Lake, Mono Lake, California Viruses infecting bacteria and algae are generally the most abundant microorganisms in aquatic environments, and are known to influence microbial community structure, function, and biogeochemical cycling. Although the importance of viruses in typical marine and freshwater environments is recognized, almost nothing is known about their roles in alkaline hypersaline environments. Preliminary observations from Mono Lake, where pH is ~10 and salt content nearly three times that of seawater, indicate that viruses are near the highest concentrations ever observed in nature. Mono Lake supports a relatively simple food web with high phytoplankton production, brine shrimp acting as the sole macrozooplankton grazer, and permanent stratification shaping the structure of the microbial community. Three basic questions are addressed in this research. How does viral abundance, dynamics, and diversity differ in this unusual environment from those in marine and freshwater environments? What is the contribution of viruses to host mortality? How are the viruses in this seeting different from other viruses in terms of genetic and physiological properties? Viral density and diversity will be ascertained using viral isolates as well as direct molecular approaches. This research complements ongoing activities at the Lake Mono Microbial Observatory, and facilitates an integrated study of the viral community in a broad biotic and abiotic context. Results will provide new insights into the occurrence, diversity and function of microbiological life forms extreme environments. The project also provides opportunities to educate graduate and undergraduate students in environmental and microbiological sciences.