PostDoctoral Research Fellowship

Brum Jennifer R, Honolulu HI

Investigators

Abstract

The Western Antarctic Peninsula, a highly productive region of the Southern Ocean, is experiencing considerable changes as a result of warming. Productivity in this region is microbially-driven, and, as recently documented for nearly every other aquatic system, viruses are likely to have significant effects on the diversity, function, and activity of these microorganisms. A study of the relative importance and genomic content of lytic and temperate viral assemblages is proposed. Lytic and temperate viral infections are fundamentally different replication strategies with contrasting outcomes for both virus and host, and these differences can be inferred from their genomic content. Current research from induction experiments and metagenomic analyses suggest that temperate viral infections are favored in polar environments, especially during the winter, and may result in increased survival of both the virus and host. The study aims to 1) quantify the relative importance of lytic and temperate viral infections, 2) compare the genomic content of induced temperate viruses against free viruses and 3) use physical fractionation and targeted metagenomics to gain genomic context for signature temperate viral genes and key viral encoded genes. The work will be done in collaboration with the Palmer LTER. Broader Impacts include presentations at international interdisciplinary meetings, peer reviewed scientific articles, public lectures and outreach through Biosphere 2, teach high school students through the University of Arizona partner programs BioME and BLAST, and participation in LTER outreach program.