Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS20 Biological Control of Harmful Algal Blooms: Role of Grazers, Parasites, Viruses and Bacteria

Date: Monday, February 12, 2001, Time: 11:00:00 AM

Location: Cochiti/Taos

Tai, V, , University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, vtai@interchange.ubc.ca

Suttle, C, A, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, suttle@eos.ubc.ca

TWO NOVEL VIRUSES CAUSING LYSIS OF THE TOXIC BLOOM-FORMING ALGA HETEROSIGMA AKASHIWO (RAPHIDOPHYCEAE)

We have isolated several viruses from the coastal waters of British Columbia that infect and cause lysis of the toxic bloom-forming alga Heterosigma akashiwo. Little is known about these potentially important mortality agents of H. akashiwo. One of these viruses is a single stranded RNA virus with a genome size of approximately 9100 nucleotides. This is the first report of a single stranded RNA virus that causes lysis of phytoplankton. The mature virus particle contains at least 5 proteins and is 25 nm in diameter. A second virus (HaNIV) is a double-stranded DNA virus with a 37,000 base pair genome. The capsid is 40 nm in diameter and is comprised of a single major protein. These viruses are unlike any other phytoplankton viruses that have been described, including another virus (HaV) isolated in Japan that infects H. akashiwo. The discovery of these viruses emphasizes the diversity of viral pathogens that cause mortality of H. akashiwo in nature, and these mortality agents may be important regulators of bloom formation and termination.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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