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Diatom Viruses

TEM micrograph of ultra-thin sections of Chaetoceros setoensis and negatively stained Chaetoceros setoensis DNA virus (CsetDNAV) particles, genus Diatodnavirus: (F) Negatively stained CsetDNAV particles in the culture lysate.

Diatoms are among the most common phytoplankton groups found within marine and freshwater systems. They are estimated to comprise of roughly 12,000-13,000 species which account for 35-70% (Smetacek, 1999) of marine primary production within the ocean and nearly 20% of the world's primary productivity. Diatoms, among other primary important producers, can be susceptible to viral infection (Coy et al., 2018). Diatom viruses are a group of viruses that infect diatoms and have potentially been shown to impact population dynamics and mortality rates within diatom populations significantly (Walde et al., 2023). Diatom viruses are highly diverse and can have a variety of complex interactions with their specific host cells (Yan et al., 2015); they have also been known to have the ability to cause cell lysis and nutrient release demonstrating their significant ecological impact with regard to their potential to release nutrients into the ecosystem and regulate diatom populations (Yan et al., 2015). The research surrounding Diatom viruses is relatively new, and many questions remain unanswered as further research is needed to fully understand the role of Diatom viruses within aquatic ecosystems.