| Value |
7.65e+12
Copies/m^2
Range: ±0.32e+12 Copies/m^2
|
| Organism |
Virus |
| Reference |
Danovaro R, Dell'Anno A, Corinaldesi C, Magagnini M, Noble R, Tamburini C, Weinbauer M. Major viral impact on the functioning of benthic deep-sea ecosystems. Nature. 2008 Aug 28 454(7208):1084-7.PubMed ID18756250
|
| Method |
Researchers collected a data set of 232 deep-sea sediment samples and measured the impact of viruses on deep-sea benthic prokaryotes and biogeochemical cycles. Their data cover latitudes from 79° N to 34° S, and all depths from 165 m to 5,571 m (sampling location and details on the data set is provided in Supplementary Table 1 and Fig. 1), and include deep-sea sites spanning a wide range of bottom-water temperatures and trophic conditions. Measurements of viral and prokaryotic abundance and production were carried out synoptically on the same samples and by using the same protocols for the entire data set, thus ensuring methodological consistency. Viral and prokaryotic abundances in deep-sea sediments were determined by epifluorescence microscopy using highly sensitive fluorochromes. For the determination of viral production, two different procedures were applied and compared. The first is based on a dilution technique of samples with virus-free sea water, and allows the determination of viral production on the basis of the increase in viral number over time. The second is based on the use of 3H-thymidine, and allows the determination of viral production through the assessment of the incorporation rates of radiolabelled substrates into viral genomes. |
| Comments |
Researchers report that viral abundance in surface sediments (top 1-cm) worldwide is high at all depths, from the shelf-break down to the abyssal sediments (range, 0.10–3.53 ×10^9 g-1 mean, 0.96 times 10^9/g (Supplementary Table 1), which are equivalent to 0.83–28.2 ×10^12 viruses m^-2 with a mean of 7.65 +- 0.32 ×10^12 viruses m^-2 |
| Entered by |
Uri M |
| ID |
104964 |