Tracking Abundance and Diversity of Marine Cyanophages Over Time in Coastal Waters of Puerto Rico

Marine cyanophages, viruses that infect cyanobacteria, are abundant in seawater and influence ocean biogeochemical cycling and host community structures. While marine cyanophages have been the subject of substantial scientific investigation, very minimal work has focused on their population dynamics within tropical regions like Puerto Rico. To address this gap, we assess and analyze the temporal changes in cyanophages abundance and diversity at two coastal sites in Puerto Rico which are Mayagüez Bay and the La Parguera Natural Reserve. For estimating the abundance and isolating cyanophages, techniques of MPN and ED plates were conducted, respectively, using different types of previously isolated and characterized cell strains (i.e., WH7803, WH8101, WH8018, and CC9311). Data from nine months of sampling reveals that Parguera has more cyanophages infecting WH8101 cells and Mayaguez Bay has more cyanophages infecting WH7803 cells. Even when we have that difference, there are more cyanophages that infect WH7803 than cyanophages that infect WH8101. This study provides the first look into cyanophage population dynamics across two geographic locations around Puerto Rico and already has revealed notable trends.

Presentation Preference: Poster

Primary Presenter: Alondra Urrutia, University of Puerto Rico- Mayaguez (alondra.urrutia@upr.edu)

Authors:

Alondra Urrutia, University of Puerto Rico- Mayaguez  (alondra.urrutia@upr.edu)

Santiago Herarldez, University of Puerto Rico- Mayaguez  (santiago.herarldez@upr.edu)

Carola Puig, University of Puerto Rico- Mayaguez  (carola.puig@upr.edu)

Alex Veglia, University of Puerto Rico- Mayaguez  (alex.veglia@upr.edu)