🧬 Coincidental Virulence
What could “coincidental virulence” mean in a marine virus context?
(any example should be fine!) or: viral boom during a huge algal bloom leading to rapid large-scale lysis because there are SO many hosts
What does “killing the winner” mean, and why might it be good for ocean life?
keep r-selective species in check, encouraging biodiversity
What happens when a virus lyses cell? Where do the nutrients go?
the carbon sinks! the amino/nucleic acids (very labile readily absorbed stuff) get's utilized quickly
what’s the r in r-strategist stand for? (wrong answers only)
radical, random... really really really fast growing
There are more viruses in the ocean than stars in the sky—true or just an extreme poetic exaggeration?
Why is virulence not always the goal for a virus?
killing your primary host = bad (can't infect something that's extinct)
If viruses target dominant microbial species, what happens to community structure?
Dominant species get lysed, less competitive species get a chance to grow, microbial biodiversity increases
How do marine viruses make carbon “stickier”?
cell lysis byproduct is considerably "stickier" than dead cell byproduct, causing faster sinking
What kind of microbe would party hard, reproduce fast, and get wiped out by a virus just as fast?
r-selected species
If you accidentally swallowed a liter of seawater, how many viruses might you accidentally ingest?
probably a lot
Could a virus “accidentally” cause a massive algal bloom die-off? How?
large-scale die-off is not necessarily adaptive (killing your entire host population isn’t really super great for long-term survival) but it can still happen due to ecological mismatch
What’s the unintended benefit of being vulnerable to viruses?
ie: promoting coexistence
Why would viral activity speed up carbon export to the deep ocean?
increase cell lysis, increase carbon sinking, increased carbon export > regular dead cell fall
What kind of virus would thrive in a boom-and-bust system?
r-selected
How many elephants do you think that these viral particles could make up? (hint: there really isn't a right answer here, it's more speculation)
about 7, probably
If a virus evolves in a host it doesn’t normally infect, why might it become dangerous?
virus and "new host" not co-evolved, AKA virus might go full bull-in-a-china-shop (unintentionally)
Why would a virus make you popular... if you're not popular to begin with? (aka: Why might a rare species thrive in a virus-rich ocean?)
refuge from viral predation, ability to grow when rare given limitation of more dominant species
Why is viral lysis considered a shortcut in the carbon cycle instead of a detour?
bypasses larger components in the food web, moving straight to sinking
Which strategy might be more vulnerable to viruses: being fast-growing or stable and slow-growing?
k-selective, slow growing
Viruses don’t eat, breathe, or pay rent. So how do they make such a big impact?
Lysis! Killing things in influx ultimately influences the oceans biogeochemical cycling
How might the coincidental virulence hypothesis explain unexpected mass mortality in marine systems?
anything goes here!
How could a virus indirectly promote biodiversity in a microbial ecosystem?
in your own words :)
Could viruses help with climate change, or are they just stirring the microbial pot for fun?
both help AND hurt....
How could viral dynamics shift a microbial population from r- to K-selected traits over time?
Viral targeting of r-strategists shift population towards K-strategists as the r-strategists are repeatedly targeted
Name a reason why most of the ocean’s viral diversity is still largely unknown.
we haven't quite figured out how to measure these things (womp)