Characterization of viruses infecting alexandrium fundyense

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Harmful algal blooms, such as the annual blooms or "red tides" of Alexandrium fundyense in the Bay of Fundy, NB, have caused substantial monetary losses to the aquaculture industry. This algal species causes shellfish toxicity, fish kills, human illness and death in coastal areas around the world. Viral infection has only recently been appreciated for its role in influencing the population dynamics of phytoplankton. It is now recognized that viral infections become especially important during algal blooms when phytoplankton cells are highly concentrated, since the rate of infection is dependent on the density of host cells. However, there are currently very few algal viruses isolated and characterized. I have recently isolated a novel lytic agent from the Bay of Fundy that causes the lysis of A. fundyense laboratory cultures within 5 days of inoculation. Evidence gathered to this date suggests that the lytic agent is viral. This is a proposal to further characterize this virus, including determining its biological nature, examining its relatedness to known algal viruses, and examining its the role in mediating populations of its host, A. fundyense. By better understanding the basic biology of this novel virus, and examining the season abundance of the virus and the rates of its production and decay, we will be able to develop a model for how viruses may mediate red tides. This will provide the scientific community with information critical for developing management strategies for our coastal resources. Very few algal viruses have been successfully isolated and cultured to date despite the mounting evidence of their importance in controlling host community composition and diversity, nutrient cycling, and acting as vectors for genetic transfer. Further characterization of the novel agent I have isolated will not only provide critical information on the role of viruses in A. fundyense blooms, but will also contribute significantly to our understanding of aquatic microbial interactions in general.