Arctic viral ecology in water, ice and aerosols

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The average global temperature has steadily risen over the past 100 years, with some of the greatest increases occurring in the Arctic. This is of particular concern because it has resulted in a substantial reduction in the amount and quality of ice in the region. The consequences of this are dramatic, affecting everything from sea level and oceanic circulation to international trade and the customs of aboriginal peoples. A critical aspect to predicting the breadth and magnitude of the impact of climate change in the Arctic is elucidating how the organisms endemic to this region are being affected. As in the majority of ecosystems on Earth, the most abundant and diverse groups of biological entities in the Arctic are the protists, prokaryotes and viruses that comprise the microbial community. Microbes play a critical role in the cycling of nutrients and energy, and therefore understanding the dynamics and interactions of this group is vital to understanding the ecology of the Arctic ecosystem as a whole. The viruses are an important, but remarkably understudied, component of the Arctic ecosystem. Viruses influence the community dynamics and evolution of their microbial hosts, and ultimately the productivity of the entire biota. Towards this end, I propose to work in a series of watersheds along a longitudinal gradient from northern Quebec to the Canadian High Arctic, habitats that have experienced a dramatic loss of ice cover in the past decades. The objective of this research is to characterize the role of viruses in Arctic microbial ecology and how that role varies throughout the biome using molecular methods. This information will address major gaps in our understanding by significantly expanding the known range of genomic biogeography among viruses and their hosts, providing new insights into their evolution, ecology, and biology, while complementing ongoing work in the region, ultimately resulting in a biome-wide portrait of the interactions, impact and importance of viruses in freshwater environments of the Arctic. As importantly, this research program will provide training for early career scientists while promoting efforts to increase diversity in science, contribute to outreach efforts in Arctic communities, and educate the public at large through publications, conferences, public forums and the media.