Temporal Variability of Virioplankton during a Gymnodinium catenatum Algal Bloom

Viruses are key biogeochemical engines in the regulation of the dynamics of phytoplankton. However, there has been little research on viral communities in relation to algal blooms. Using the virMine tool, we analyzed viral information from metagenomic data of field dinoflagellate (Gymnodinium catenatum) blooms at different stages. Species identification indicated that phages were the main species. Unifrac analysis showed clear temporal patterns in virioplankton dynamics. The viral community was dominated by Siphoviridae, Podoviridae, and Myoviridae throughout the whole bloom cycle. However, some changes were observed at different phases of the bloom; the relatively abundant Siphoviridae and Myoviridae dominated at pre-bloom and peak bloom stages, while at the post-bloom stage, the members of Phycodnaviridae and Microviridae were more abundant. Temperature and nutrients were the main contributors to the dynamic structure of the viral community. Some obvious correlations were found between dominant viral species and host biomass. Functional analysis indicated some functional genes had dramatic response in algal-associated viral assemblages, especially the CAZyme encoding genes. This work expands the existing knowledge of algal-associated viruses by characterizing viral composition and function across a complete algal bloom cycle. Our data provide supporting evidence that viruses participate in dinoflagellate bloom dynamics under natural conditions.