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SAR11 viruses and defensive host strains

Nature volume 499, pages E3–E4 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

arising from Y. Zhao et al. Nature 494, 357–360 (2013)10.1038/nature11921

The recent findings of abundant SAR11 viruses by Zhao et al.1 are intriguing, and add new insight into the on-going discussion of why SAR11 bacteria are highly successful in the pelagic ocean. On the basis of high SAR11 virus abundance, Zhao et al.1 claim that SAR11 bacteria are competition specialists. Alternatively, we show here how their findings could be consistent with a dominance of defensive SAR11 strains. Considering their high abundance, understanding why SAR11 bacteria are so successful has important implications for the study of the pelagic ecosystem2. There is a Reply to this Brief Communication Arising by Giovannoni, S., Temperton, B. & Zhao, Y. Nature 499, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12388 (2013).

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Figure 1: Clustered versus interspersed distribution of bacterial strains along the growth-rate axis.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway,

    Selina Våge, Julia E. Storesund & T. Frede Thingstad

Authors
  1. Selina Våge
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  2. Julia E. Storesund
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  3. T. Frede Thingstad
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Contributions

S.V., J.E.S. and T.F.T. were responsible for planning, discussing and editing the comment. T.F.T. and S.V. developed the model, and S.V. was responsible for writing and illustrating the comment.

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Correspondence to Selina Våge.

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Våge, S., Storesund, J. & Thingstad, T. SAR11 viruses and defensive host strains. Nature 499, E3–E4 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12387

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