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Viral Diversity and Abundance in the Miami River, Little River and Biscayne Bay
Location: 80
Mentor: Dr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman
Viruses are an important part of any marine ecosystem, responsible for killing more than 20% of the microorganism biomass daily. Although they are the most abundant biological entity on Earth, very little is known about their abundance and diversity, particularly in South Florida. Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses (NCLDVs) also known as 'giant viruses’ are known to have unusually large genomes and have several ecological functions including top-down control of the marine microbiome and influence on nutrient cycling. The purpose of this study was to quantify the abundance and diversity of viruses across 7 sampling sites throughout the Biscayne Bay, FL area in addition to mapping the phylogeny of giant viruses in comparison to several known NCLDV reference genomes. Furthermore, we aimed to explore viral diversity and composition throughout all sites combined. Using metagenomic and bioinformatic approaches, over 38,000 unique marine viruses were identified across the sampling area between two size fractions. Additionally, 31 unique giant viruses were identified within the dataset. Viral abundance varied between size fractions and between sites, exhibiting a range of diverse microbial ecosystems in a small geographic area.
