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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2004, p. 1633-1640, Vol. 70, No. 3
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.3.1633-1640.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Phage Community Dynamics in Hot Springs

Mya Breitbart,1 Linda Wegley,1 Steven Leeds,1 Tom Schoenfeld,2 and Forest Rohwer1,3*

Department of Biology,1 Center for Microbial Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92182-4614,3 Lucigen Corporation, Middleton, Wisconsin 535622

Received 19 June 2003/ Accepted 18 November 2003

In extreme thermal environments such as hot springs, phages are the only known microbial predators. Here we present the first study of prokaryotic and phage community dynamics in these environments. Phages were abundant in hot springs, reaching concentrations of a million viruses per milliliter. Hot spring phage particles were resistant to shifts to lower temperatures, possibly facilitating DNA transfer out of these extreme environments. The phages were actively produced, with a population turnover time of 1 to 2 days. Phage-mediated microbial mortality was significant, making phage lysis an important component of hot spring microbial food webs. Together, these results show that phages exert an important influence on microbial community structure and energy flow in extreme thermal environments.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, LS316, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92182-4614. Phone: (619) 594-7829. Fax: (619) 595-5676. E-mail: forest{at}sunstroke.sdsu.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2004, p. 1633-1640, Vol. 70, No. 3
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.3.1633-1640.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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