title: Low virus to prokaryote ratios in the cold: benthic viruses and prokaryotes in a subpolar marine ecosystem (Hornsund, Svalbard).
abstract: The density and spatial distribution of benthic viruses and prokaryotes in relation to biotic and abiotic factors were investigated in sediment cores collected in Hornsund, a permanently cold fjord on the West coast of Svalbard, Norway. The cores were obtained from the mouth of the fjord to the central basin, along a longitudinal transect. The results of our analyses showed lower densities of viruses (0.2 x 10(8) to 5.4 x 10(8) virus-like particles/g) and lower virus-to-prokaryote ratios (0.2-0.6, with the exception of the uppermost layer in the central basin, where the ratio was about 1.2) at the study site than generally found in the temperate areas, despite the relatively high organic matter content in subpolar sediments. Variations in benthic viral and prokaryote abundances along gradients of particle sedimentation rates, phytopigment concentrations, and macrobenthic species composition together suggested the influence of particle sedimentation and macrobenthic bioturbation on the abundance and spatial distribution ofprokaryotes and viruses in cold habitats.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland. bwrobel@iopan.gda.pl
authors.forename: Borys
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wróbel
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Filippini
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piwowarczyk
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kedra
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuliński
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Middelboe
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003710:Demography; D017753:Ecosystem; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D009664:Norway; D014780:Viruses / Q000254:growth & development*