Seasonal enhancement of the viral shunt catalyzes a subsurface oxygen maximum in the Sargasso Sea
Subsurface oxygen maxima (SOMs) occur directly beneath the mixed layer of stratified water columns across oligotrophic open ocean basins and have been associated with physical transport processes and localized increases in phytoplankton net primary productivity (NPP). We explore the hypothesis that viral lysis (i.e., the 'viral shunt') increases nutrient recycling and enhances NPP, supporting SOM formation in stratified water columns, focusing on a recurring SOM at the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series (BATS) in the Sargasso Sea. Reanalysis of historical BATS data showed enhanced Prochlorococcus and virus-like particle abundances associated with SOMs. Instances of high rates of primary and secondary production observed with oxygen supersaturation further implicate a biological mechanism for SOM formation. Leveraging metatranscriptomes, metaviromes, and polony-based data collected during a Lagrangian cruise (October 2019), we link the viral shunt to SOMs, including evidence of elevated cyanophage abundance and infection of Prochlorococcus, and transcriptomic evidence of increased organic matter uptake (i.e., catabolic activity) by copiotrophic bacteria. Cruise data also showed Prochlorococcus nitrogen metabolism transcripts consistent with increased responsiveness to bacterial remineralization. These findings illustrate the biogeochemical impacts of enhanced viral lysis in marine systems, including the potential role of the viral shunt in facilitating SOM formation in the oligotrophic oceans.
Authors
- Gary R. LeCleir (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0228-7557)
- Lauren Chittick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7200-7028)
- Matthew B. Sullivan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8398-8234)
- Steven W. Wilhelm (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6283-8077)
- Shelby M. Cagle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1552-378X)
- Naomi E. Gilbert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5691-5547)
- Christine Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2055-9699)
- Joshua S. Weitz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3433-8312)
- Alison Buchan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7420-985X)
- Ashley R. Coenen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7377-139X)
- Camelia Shopen Gochev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9985-8338)
- Jennifer M. DeBruyn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2993-4144)
- Debbie Lindell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0612-4517)
- Helena L. Pound (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6505-9789)
- Daniel Muratore (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6328-9663)
- Ilia Maidanik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6886-4225)
- Alfonso Carrillo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7224-7186)
- Kimberley S Ndlovu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6188-6261)
Institutions
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- Santa Fe Institute (US)
- Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (IL)
- Institute of Computing Technology (CN)
- The Ohio State University (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-12-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67002-1
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.43
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Santa Fe Institute
- Joint Genome Institute
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory