Bacteriophages as a model for studying carbon regulation in aquatic system

The interconversion of carbon in organic, inorganic and refractory carbon is still beyond the grasp of present environmentalists. The bacteria and their phages being the most abundant constituents of the aquatic environment, represents an ideal model for studing carbon regulation in aquatic system. The refractory dissolved organic carbon (DOC) a recently coined terminology from the microbe-driven conversion of bioavailable organic carbon into difficult-to-digest refractory DOC by microbial carbon pump (MCP) is suggested to have potential to revolutionize our view of carbon sequestration. It is estimated that about 95% of organic carbon is in the form of refractory DOC which is the largest pool of organic matter in the ocean. The refractory DOC is supposed to be the major factor in the global carbon cycle whose source is not yet well understood. A key element of the carbon cycle is the microbial conversion of dissolved organic carbon into inedible forms. The time studies of phagehost interaction under control conditions reveals their impact on the total carbon content of the source and their interconversion among organic, inorganic and other forms of carbon with respect to control source. The TOCanalysis statistics stipulate increase in inorganic carbon content by 15-25 percent in the sample with phage as compared to sample without phage. The results signify 60-70 fold increase in inorganic carbon content in sample with phage, whereas, 50-55 fold in the case of sample without phages as compared with control. This increase in inorganic carbon content may be due to lysis of the host cell releasing its cellular constituents and utilization of carbon constituent for phage assembly and development. It also proves N at ur e P re ce di ng s : h dl :1 01 01 /n pr e. 20 12 .6 77 0. 1 : P os te d 10 J an 2 01 2 the role of phages in regulating the carbon flow in the aquatic systems like oceans where their concentration outnumbered other species.