How viruses control microbial ecosystems

A theoretical analysis of how strain-specific viruses can control microbial species diversity.

Pelagic prokaryote communities are often dominated by the SAR11 clade. The recent discovery of viruses infecting this clade led to the suggestion that such dominance could not be explained by assuming SAR11 to be a defense specialist and that the explanation therefore should be sought in its competitive abilities. The issue is complicated by the fact that prokaryotes may develop strains differi...

Editorial: Hydrothermal microbial ecosystems

The papers in the " Hydrothermal Vent " research topic cover a range of microbiological research in deep and shallow hydrothermal environments, from high temperature " black smokers, " to diffuse flow habitats and episodically discharging subsurface fluids, to the hydrothermal plumes. Together they provide a snapshot of current research interests in a field that has evolved rapidly since the di...

Ecosystems biology of microbial metabolism.

The metabolic capabilities of many environmentally and medically important microbes can be quantitatively explored using systems biology approaches to metabolic networks. Yet, as we learn more about the complex microbe-microbe and microbe-environment interactions in microbial communities, it is important to understand whether and how system-level approaches can be extended to the ecosystem leve...

Plant viruses: exploiting agricultural and natural ecosystems.

Marine Viruses: Key Players in Marine Ecosystems

Viruses were recognized as the causative agents of fish diseases, such as infectious pancreatic necrosis and Oregon sockeye disease, in the early 1960s [1], and have since been shown to be responsible for diseases in all marine life from bacteria to protists, mollusks, crustaceans, fish and mammals [2].[...].