Infection of phytoplankton by aerosolized marine viruses

Abstract

Marine viruses constitute a major ecological and evolutionary driving force in the marine ecosystems. However, their dispersal mechanisms remain underexplored. Here we follow the dynamics ofEmiliania huxleyiviruses (EhV) that infect the ubiquitous, bloom-forming phytoplanktonE. huxleyiand show thatEhV are emitted to the atmosphere as primary marine aerosols. Using a laboratory-based setup, we showed that the dynamic ofEhV aerial emission is strongly coupled to the host–virus dynamic in the culture media. In addition, we recoveredEhV DNA from atmospheric samples collected over anE. huxleyibloom in the North Atlantic, providing evidence for aerosolization of marine viruses in their natural environment. Decay rate analysis in the laboratory revealed that aerosolized viruses can remain infective under meteorological conditions prevailing duringE. huxleyiblooms in the ocean, allowing potential dispersal and infectivity over hundreds of kilometers. Based on the combined laboratory and in situ findings, we propose that atmospheric transport ofEhV is an effective transmission mechanism for spreading viral infection over large areas in the ocean. This transmission mechanism may also have an important ecological impact on the large-scale host–virus “arms race” during bloom succession and consequently the turnover of carbon in the ocean.