title: The elemental composition of virus particles: implications for marine biogeochemical cycles.
abstract: In marine environments, virus-mediated lysis of host cells leads to the release of cellular carbon and nutrients and is hypothesized to be a major driver of carbon recycling on a global scale. However, efforts to characterize the effects of viruses on nutrient cycles have overlooked the geochemical potential of the virus particles themselves, particularly with respect to their phosphorus content. In this Analysis article, we use a biophysical scaling model of intact virus particles that has been validated using sequence and structural information to quantify differences in the elemental stoichiometry of marine viruses compared with their microbial hosts. By extrapolating particle-scale estimates to the ecosystem scale, we propose that, under certain circumstances, marine virus populations could make an important contribution to the reservoir and cycling of oceanic phosphorus.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Luis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Jover
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: T Chad
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Effler
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buchan
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Steven W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.affiliation: 1] School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA. [2] School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Weitz
mesh_terms: D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000378:metabolism; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D017753:Ecosystem; D008386:Marine Biology; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism; D014771:Virion / Q000378:metabolism*; D014780:Viruses / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus; D002244:Carbon