Public Research Seminar by Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) Thrust, Function Hub, HKUST(GZ) - Viruses: the Invisible Key Players in the Sea

As the most abundant lifeform on Earth, viruses are a major agent of microbial mortality, a critical modulator of microbial community dynamics, and a key driver behind ecological processes in the ocean. The lysis of host cells by viruses releases dissolved organic matter into the water, which can be reused by heterotrophs, thus influencing the microbially driven global biogeochemical cycles. However, our knowledge of marine viral diversity, ecology, and their interaction with microbial hosts remains limited. In this seminar, Dr. Lanlan Cai will give a brief introduction to marine viruses and outline some of her works about viruses that infect cyanobacteria, the most abundant photosynthetic organisms on Earth. The discovery of a new group of cyanophages and the following detailed investigations at molecular, cellular, and ecological levels by Dr. Cai provide a better understanding of the ecology of cyanobacteria and viruses in the ocean.