Abundance and distribution of bacteria and viruses in the various ecotypes of the Hawaiian Islands
Viruses are known to be the most abundant biological entity in ocean waters. As such, they have a considerable impact on biogeochemical cycles and food webs in the ocean. The myriad processes affected by viruses lead to certain questions such as – is there a correlation between the abundance and distribution of bacteria and viruses with depth through the water column? Is there a difference between near-shore, oligotrophic, and seamount environments? Do viruses prey on the whole of the bacterial community, or just a sub-sample? In order to answer these queries, this study is proposed. Water samples will be taken via Niskin rosette equipped with a CTD. Samples will be taken throughout the water column at stations reflecting various environments for a complete comparison of the ecotypes of the Hawaiian Islands. The samples will then be stained with DAPI and SYBR to count for bacteria and viruses using epifluorescence microscopy. The study will be conducted aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson from Dec. 27, 2010 to Jan. 4, 2011 in waters around the Hawaiian Islands. The purpose of this study is to determine variance in bacterial and viral abundance with depth (i.e. the virus to bacteria ratio or VBR). Because viruses are so abundant, they hold great influence over global biogeochemical processes such as the microbial loop and biological pump by creating a “viral shunt.” The viral shunt is a mechanism by which highly degradable compounds, such as amino acids, are recycled in surface waters, while more dense, carbon rich particles sink to depth. This increased efficiency of carbon sequestration shows how important viruses are to the carbon flux system. It is imperative to gather as much information about the abundance of these biological entities in the ocean if we are to understand the forces that drive life on our planet.