Quantitative molecular ecology of phytoplankton viruses

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As the major primary producers in aquatic environments, phytoplankton play a fundamental role in aquatic food webs and influence global chemical cycles. Besides nourishing the vast majority of aquatic life, phytoplankton remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by converting it into organic carbon; a significant portion of the organic material produced by marine phytoplankton sinks out of the surface waters into the deep ocean where it remains isolated from the atmosphere for hundreds, or thousands of years. The discovery that viruses are abundant in aquatic environments, and that many phytoplankton species are susceptible to virus infection demonstrated that viruses are an important source of phytoplankton mortality that influence aquatic food webs and global chemical cycles. Despite the growing interest in aquatic viruses, empirical data directly demonstrating their effects on phytoplankton is extremely limited. Therefore, the long-term objective of my research program is to generate quantitative information on viruses that can be incorporated into detailed models of phytoplankton ecology. In turn, this information could be used to guide environmental policies since management strategies often target the base of food webs. For example, costly, ineffective strategies could be avoided if modelling efforts demonstrated that viruses would confound attempts to control nuisance algal blooms. To work towards my long-term objectives, my research will focus on three short-term projects that build upon my past successes in aquatic molecular ecology. These include: 1) determining the relative importance of viruses to phytoplankton mortality, 2) determining rates of virus destruction in aquatic environments, and 3) examining the coupled dynamics of algal virus-host systems. Overall, my research includes the development of molecular technologies for aquatic microbiology, and will increase our understanding of biogeochemical cycles by enhancing models of phytoplankton ecology with discoveries related to the importance and effects of viruses in aquatic ecosystems.