Reduced bacterial mortality and enhanced viral productivity during sinking in the ocean

Abstract

Particle sinking is an important process in the ocean, influencing the biogeochemical cycle and driving the long-term preservation of carbon into the deep sea via the biological pump. However, as an important component of marine ecosystems, the role of viruses during sinking is still poorly understood. Therefore, we performed a series of transplantation experiments in the South China Sea to simulate environmental changes during sinking and investigate their effects on viral eco-dynamics and life strategy. Our study demonstrated increased viral production but decreased virus-mediated bacterial mortality after transplantation. A larger burst size and switch from the lysogenic to lytic strategy were shown to contribute to enhanced viral productivity. We provide experimental evidence that surface viral ecological characteristics changed dramatically after transplantation into deep-sea waters, indicating a potential importance of viruses during vertical sinking in the ocean. This effect probably provides positive feedback on the efficiency of the biological pump.