Snmukh, Swapnil and Khairnar, Krishna and Paunikar, W N and Lokhande, Satish
(2015)
Understanding carbon regulation in aquatic systems -
Bacteriophages as a model.
F1000Research.
pp. 1-6.
ISSN 2046-1402
Abstract
The bacteria and their phages are the most abundant constituents of the
aquatic environment, and so represent an ideal model for studying carbon
regulation in an aquatic system. The microbe-mediated interconversion of
bioavailable organic carbon (OC) into dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by the
microbial carbon pump (MCP) has been suggested to have the potential to
revolutionize our view of carbon sequestration. It is estimated that DOC is the
largest pool of organic matter in the ocean and, though a major component of
the global carbon cycle, its source is not yet well understood. A key element of
the carbon cycle is the microbial conversion of DOC into inedible forms. The
primary aim of this study is to understand the phage conversion from organic to
inorganic carbon during phage-host interactions.
Time studies of phage-host interactions under controlled conditions reveal their
impact on the total carbon content of the samples and their interconversion of
organic and inorganic carbon compared to control samples. A total organic
carbon (TOC) analysis showed an increase in inorganic carbon content by
15-25 percent in samples with bacteria and phage compared to samples with
bacteria alone. Compared to control samples, the increase in inorganic carbon
content was 60-70-fold in samples with bacteria and phage, and 50-55-fold for
samples with bacteria alone. This study indicates the potential impact of
phages in regulating the carbon cycle of aquatic systems.
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