Metagenomic analysis of RNA viruses in coastal seawater near Palmer Station, Antarctica. marine metagenome

Evidence has been accumulating that diverse RNA-containing viruses that infect eukaryotic plankton are abundant in seawater. The metagenomic data available so far suggest that these viruses are dominated by types having positive-sense, single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) genomes that are phylogenetically related to known protist-infecting viruses within the order Picornavirales. We hypothesized that RNA viruses would be present and abundant in polar marine waters, where intense seasonal blooms are dominated by eukaryotic phytoplankton, most notably diatoms. To test this, we harvested viruses from seawater samples from a coastal site near Palmer Station, Antarctica on six occasions spanning the rise and decline of the summer phytoplankton bloom (November to March).