This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Williamson, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Wommack, K. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Williamson, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Wommack, K. E.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Williamson, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Wommack, K. E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2005, p. 3119-3125, Vol. 71, No. 6
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.6.3119-3125.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Abundance and Diversity of Viruses in Six Delaware Soils

Kurt E. Williamson,1 Mark Radosevich,2 and K. Eric Wommack1*

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716,1 Department of Biosystems Engineering and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-45312

Received 11 October 2004/ Accepted 20 December 2004

The importance of viruses in marine microbial ecology has been established over the past decade. Specifically, viruses influence bacterial abundance and community composition through lysis and alter bacterial genetic diversity through transduction and lysogenic conversion. By contrast, the abundance and distribution of viruses in soils are almost completely unknown. This study describes the abundance and diversity of autochthonous viruses in six Delaware soils: two agricultural soils, two coastal plain forest soils, and two piedmont forest soils. Viral abundance was measured using epifluorescence microscopy, while viral diversity was assessed from morphological data obtained through transmission electron microscopy. Extracted soil virus communities were dominated by bacteriophages that demonstrated a wide range of capsid diameters (20 nm to 160 nm) and morphologies, including filamentous forms and phages with elongated capsids. The reciprocal Simpson's index suggests that forest soils harbor more diverse assemblages of viruses, particularly in terms of morphological distribution. Repeated extractions of virus-like particles (VLPs) from soils indicated that the initial round of extraction removes approximately 70% of extractable viruses. Higher VLP abundances were observed in forest soils (1.31 x 109 to 4.17 x 109 g–1 dry weight) than in agricultural soils (8.7 x 108 to 1.1 x 109 g–1 dry weight). Soil VLP abundance was significantly correlated to moisture content (r = 0.988) but not to soil texture. Land use (agricultural or forested) was significantly correlated to both bacterial (r = 0.885) and viral (r = 0.812) abundances, as were soil organic matter and water content. Thus, land use is a significant factor influencing viral abundance and diversity in soils.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Delaware Biotechnology Institute, 15 Innovation Way, Lab 148, Newark, DE 19711. Phone: (302) 831-4362. Fax: (302) 831-3447. E-mail: wommack{at}dbi.udel.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2005, p. 3119-3125, Vol. 71, No. 6
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.6.3119-3125.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Pecson, B. M., Martin, L. V., Kohn, T. (2009). Quantitative PCR for Determining the Infectivity of Bacteriophage MS2 upon Inactivation by Heat, UV-B Radiation, and Singlet Oxygen: Advantages and Limitations of an Enzymatic Treatment To Reduce False-Positive Results. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 5544-5554 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chee-Sanford, J. C., Mackie, R. I., Koike, S., Krapac, I. G., Lin, Y.-F., Yannarell, A. C., Maxwell, S., Aminov, R. I. (2009). Fate and Transport of Antibiotic Residues and Antibiotic Resistance Genes following Land Application of Manure Waste. J. Environ. Qual. 38: 1086-1108 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Helton, R. R., Wommack, K. E. (2009). Seasonal Dynamics and Metagenomic Characterization of Estuarine Viriobenthos Assemblages by Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA PCR. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 2259-2265 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Niu, Y. D., McAllister, T. A., Xu, Y., Johnson, R. P., Stephens, T. P., Stanford, K. (2009). Prevalence and Impact of Bacteriophages on the Presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Feedlot Cattle and Their Environment. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 1271-1278 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kim, K.-H., Chang, H.-W., Nam, Y.-D., Roh, S. W., Kim, M.-S., Sung, Y., Jeon, C. O., Oh, H.-M., Bae, J.-W. (2008). Amplification of Uncultured Single-Stranded DNA Viruses from Rice Paddy Soil. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 5975-5985 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ghosh, D., Roy, K., Williamson, K. E., White, D. C., Wommack, K. E., Sublette, K. L., Radosevich, M. (2008). Prevalence of Lysogeny among Soil Bacteria and Presence of 16S rRNA and trzN Genes in Viral-Community DNA. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 495-502 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fierer, N., Breitbart, M., Nulton, J., Salamon, P., Lozupone, C., Jones, R., Robeson, M., Edwards, R. A., Felts, B., Rayhawk, S., Knight, R., Rohwer, F., Jackson, R. B. (2007). Metagenomic and Small-Subunit rRNA Analyses Reveal the Genetic Diversity of Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi, and Viruses in Soil. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 7059-7066 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Love, D. C., Sobsey, M. D. (2007). Simple and Rapid F+ Coliphage Culture, Latex Agglutination, and Typing Assay To Detect and Source Track Fecal Contamination. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 4110-4118 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Helton, R. R., Liu, L., Wommack, K. E. (2006). Assessment of Factors Influencing Direct Enumeration of Viruses within Estuarine Sediments.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 4767-4774 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»