EAPS

Joshua Weitz, Georgia Tech
Mar 18 | 3:45 - 5:00 pm | 54-915
Host: Greg Fournier

Modeling Ocean Viruses: From Cellular Infections to Ecosystem Effects

Viruses are ubiquitous in the marine environment and are responsible for a significant fraction of the mortality of marine microbes. The lysis of marine microbes also releases cellular debris that can then be taken up by non-targeted cells, stimulating microbial production. This redirection of cellular biomass by viruses is termed the "viral shunt". Here, I offer two perspectives on the viral shunt. First, I present an ab-initio model of the carbon and nutrient content of virus particles. In doing so, I show how the elemental stoichiometry of virus particles differs from that of microbial host cells. I explore the consequences of this difference for varying modes of exploitation of intracellular resources by viruses. Second, I present a nonlinear model of a surface marine ecosystem that extends NPZ-like models by incorporating viral-induced lysis and the viral shunt. I leverage analytical methods and numerical simulations to identify mechanisms by which viruses may stimulate increased recycling of organic matter and gross primary productivity at the ecosystem scale.

A reception in Building 54, Room 923 precedes the talk.

All are welcome.

If you have any questions regarding the lecture, please contact Jen Fentress at 617.253.2127 or jfen@mit.edu. Reservations not required.

Sponsored by the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science, MIT.