Viral communities as potential modulators in carbon and sulfur metabolisms in sediment from a young Tyrrhenian basin

Abstract

Viruses are the most abundant entities in the ocean and play important roles in controlling microbial populations by lysis, which releases dissolved organic carbon and other nutrients back to the environment. Viruses have therefore the potential to be important modulators in biogeochemical cycles. I propose to characterize the diversity of viral communities to identify their functional roles as potential modulators of biogeochemical cycles of carbon and sulfur in sediments of the Tyrrhenian basin using a metagenomic approach. The results of this study will provide the characterization of novel viruses inhabiting sediments. It will elucidate virus–host interactions and their impact in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and sulfur.

Biography

Deep-ocean exploration was a subject that always appealed to me. I was born in Arequipa, Peru, where I earned my BS in Biological Sciences. Though I was landlocked and surrounded by volcanoes, I had a great interest in marine life and sciences, particularly in the most ancient known organisms. I went to graduate school to delve into the field of geomicrobiology, looking for life beneath the ocean floor. I study bacteria and archaea but also viruses, which people often fear, despite their ecological impact. I am pursuing a PhD in marine biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston under the guidance of Dr. Jessica Labonté at the Viral Ecology Lab. My research focuses on the diversity and interactions of marine microbial communities of deep-sea sediments and how they contribute to the biogeochemical cycles that modulate our planet. I’m studying how microbial interactions drive biogeochemical cycles under different geological settings, how viral activity and diversity play a role in biogeochemical cycles, and the adaptations that allow the survival of microbes under stress conditions. I also sailed as a microbiologist on IODP Expedition 402 (Tyrrhenian Continent–Ocean Transition) and I will use the sediment samples collected during this expedition as part of the Schlanger Fellowship project.