Quantifying the ecological relevance of grazing and viral lysis in marine microbial communities

Here is a summary of his talk:

Viruses and grazers are considered the major agents of marine phytoplankton mortality. However, there is significant uncertainty regarding how much of phytoplankton mortality is partitioned between viruses and grazers. Using a combination of modelling, theory and empirical data we offer three vignettes to quantify the relative balance of virus-induced vs. grazer-induced mortality: (1) Inferences and uncertainties based on dilution-based measurements; (2) Theoretical predictions based on the biophysics of viral and grazer encounters with their prey; (3) Data-model integration to estimate phytoplankton mortality rates in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Through the integration of data and modelling we outline emerging opportunities to provide better understanding of the role of viruses and grazers in shaping marine microbial communities