Excessive growth of algae – known as algal bloom – are not uncommon across the world.

When algae grows out of control in bodies of both freshwater and saltwater, the water can become discolored and a thick layer of algae becomes noticeable.

Harmful to humans, livestock, and aquatic ecosystems, algal bloom is dangerous thanks to the toxins that some algae can produce. As a result of exposure to water affected by algal bloom, fish, animals and even people can become sick, and in some cases the toxins may be life threatening.

Thanks to a new study from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, though, we have new understanding of algal bloom – in particular what causes it to become so intense.

According to the new research, which was published in the journal Nature npj Viruses, algae (and other, similar marine organisms) can be affected by giant viruses that are prolific in all kinds of waterways.

In fact, in their study the research teams identified 230 of these giant viruses, and how they interact with these single-celled organisms known as protists.

When it comes to algae, the giant viruses actually increase the plant’s ability to photosynthesise, leading to algal bloom, as Miami’s Benjamin Minch explained in a statement:

“We discovered that giant viruses possess genes involved in cellular functions such as carbon metabolism and photosynthesis—traditionally found only in cellular organisms. This suggests that giant viruses play an outsized role in manipulating their host’s metabolism during infection and influencing marine biogeochemistry.”

And according to the team’s data – which included samples from oceans worldwide – there are a wide variety (530 in total) of viral proteins that could effect protists, with a total of nine of those affecting the photosynthesis rates of algae and other single-celled marine organisms.

Using computational tools the team were able to model and understand the giant viruses – not only to understand them, but to deepen our knowledge on how to tackle them.

That’s because the effect of the viruses on protists goes far beyond what we bear witness to on land; sick humans, livestock, and dead fish are really only the beginning.

In fact, these giant viruses can wipe out phytoplankton, which are fundamental not only for marine ecosystems, but regulating our planet’s carbon cycle. In fact, phytoplankton is crucial to producing up to half our planet’s oxygen and absorbing significant quantities of carbon dioxide.

Thus, as Miami’s Mohammad Moniruzzaman continues in the statement, the effects of these giant viruses can be catastrophic:

“By better understanding the diversity and role of giant viruses in the ocean and how they interact with algae and other ocean microbes, we can predict and possibly manage harmful algal blooms, which are human health hazards in Florida as well as all over the world.

Giant viruses are often the main cause of death for many phytoplankton, which serve as the base of the food web supporting ocean ecosystems and food sources. The novel functions found in giant viruses could have biotechnological potential, as some of these functions might represent novel enzymes.”

Forewarned is forearmed, and thanks to the University of Miami research team, we might be closer to fighting these giant viruses than ever before.

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