Detection of phage infection in the bacterial population of Lake Untersee (Antarctica)

摘要

It is presently generally accepted that phages are the most numerous life form on the planet [1, 2]. Phages play an ecologically significant role in aquatic ecosystems, where they are an important factor involved in the regulation of the structure and numbers of microbial communities [2]. The ecology of bacteriophages has been studied primarily in the ecosystems of temperate latitudes. Data on the distribution of bacteriophages in polar continental lakes are scarce; however, they indicate that phages play an important role in these ecosystems, where microbial communities prevail [3].