¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996
²Department of Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996
³National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, P.O. Box 5050 Burlington, ON Canada L7R 4A6

*Corresponding author: wilhelm@utk.edu

Summary

   As pervasive pathogens, viruses that infect members of the microbial community are now included in most analyses of aquatic food webs and nutrient cycles. Here we provide a review of the available information concerning their distribution in the Laurentian Great Lake, Lake Erie, as well as new information from samples collected in July 2003. Results from virus production assays demonstrate that bacterial lysis by viruses released 122 - 1080 nM of phosphorus per day throughout Lake Erie, implying that viruses acted as a major mechanism of phosphorus recycling in the lake. Combining this data with results from previous studies, viruses are shown to be ubiquitous throughout Lake Erie, with a weak correlation between their distribution and the distribution of heterotrophic bacteria. Moreover, evidence suggests that virus production rates are tightly tied to the growth rate of the microbial community, with changes in bacterial growth (brought on by amendments of PO₄-P) resulting in increases in virus production in the system. In combination with data compiled from 1997 through 2002, this information is presented to reinforce the importance of viruses as integral components of Lake Erie and other aquatic ecosystems.