Deep Sequencing of the Viral phoH Gene Reveals Temporal Variation, Depth-specific Composition, and Persistent Dominance of the Same Viral phoH Genes in the Sargasso Sea

Authors

Dawn Goldsmith, University of South Florida
Rachel Parsons, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
Damitu Beyene, San Diego State University
Peter Salamon, San Diego State University
Mya Breitbart, University of South FloridaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

Keywords

phoH, Sargasso Sea, Viral diversity, Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.997

Abstract

Deep sequencing of the viral phoH gene, a host-derived auxiliary metabolic gene, was used to track viral diversity throughout the water column at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site in the summer (September) and winter (March) of three years. Viral phoH sequences reveal differences in the viral communities throughout a depth profile and between seasons in the same year. Variation was also detected between the same seasons in subsequent years, though these differences were not as great as the summer/winter distinctions. Over 3,600 phoH operational taxonomic units (OTUs; 97% sequence identity) were identified. Despite high richness, most phoH sequences belong to a few large, common OTUs whereas the majority of the OTUs are small and rare. While many OTUs make sporadic appearances at just a few times or depths, a small number of OTUs dominate the community throughout the seasons, depths, and years.

Rights Information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

PeerJ, v. 3, art. e997

Scholar Commons Citation

Goldsmith, Dawn; Parsons, Rachel; Beyene, Damitu; Salamon, Peter; and Breitbart, Mya, "Deep Sequencing of the Viral phoH Gene Reveals Temporal Variation, Depth-specific Composition, and Persistent Dominance of the Same Viral phoH Genes in the Sargasso Sea" (2015). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 721.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/721