Phages of Cyanobacteria

Abstract The scientific importance of the phages of cyanobacteria (cyanophages) is intimately associated with the ecological significance of their hosts. Cyanobacteria are arguably the most diverse and widely distributed group of eubacteria on the planet and play central roles in major biogeochemical processes, such as the carbon and nitrogen cycles. Cyanobacteria exist in a wide range of freshwater and marine environments, ranging from thermophilic to psycrophilic, and terrestrial environments, including those subject to periodic desiccation. By virtue of their higher plant-like oxygenic photosynthetic apparatus they contribute significantly to the maintenance of the Earth’s atmosphere, in terms of both oxygen production and carbon dioxide fixation. Consequently, the ability of cyanophages to determine the population structures and genetic diversity of cyanobacteria, as well as to potentially influence the dynamics of biogeochemical processes, gives them a unique ecological significance.