Data from: Previously unknown evolutionary groups dominate the ssDNA gokushoviruses in oxic and anoxic waters of a coastal marine environment

Metagenomic studies have revealed that ssDNA phages from the family
Microviridae subfamily Gokushovirinae are widespread in aquatic
ecosystems. It is hypothesized that gokushoviruses occupy specialized
niches, resulting in differences among genotypes traversing water column
gradients. Here, we use degenerate primers that amplify a fragment of the
gene encoding the major capsid protein to examine the diversity of
gokushoviruses in Saanich Inlet, a seasonally anoxic fjord on the coast of
Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Amplicon sequencing of samples from
the mixed oxic surface (10 m) and deeper anoxic (200 m) layers indicated a
diverse assemblage of gokushoviruses, with greater richness at 10 m than
200 m. A comparison of amplicon sequences with sequences selected on the
basis of RFLP patterns from eight surface samples collected over a
one-year period revealed that gokushovirus diversity was higher in spring
and summer during stratification, and lower in fall and winter after
deep-water renewal, consistent with seasonal variability within
gokushovirus populations. Phylogenetic analysis of clustered amplicons
revealed at least five new phylogenetic clades of previously unknown
sequences, with the most abundant group associated with viruses that
infect SUP05, a ubiquitous and abundant member of marine oxygen minimum
zones. Our results provide persuasive evidence that, while specific
gokushovirus genotypes may have a narrow host range, hosts for
gokushoviruses in Saanich Inlet consist of a wide range of bacterial taxa,
including SUP05, a taxonomic clade of gamma proteobacterial sulfur
oxidizers. Members of SUP05 are abundant in Saanich Inlet and involved in
carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling along the redoxline; thus,
gokushoviruses are likely important mortality agents of these bacteria and
have consequent influences on biogeochemical cycling in this system.