Abundance and distribution of bacteria and viruses in the various ecotypes of the Hawaiian Islands Florence

Abstract

Viruses and bacteria are highly abundant in the marine realm. Many studies have shown that viruses often exceed bacteria in abundance by an order of magnitude. This study utilized epi-fluorescence microscopy and DAPI and SYBR stain to quantify abundance of the two entities in the waters of the Hawaiian Islands. The virus to bacteria ratio was calculated, but did not vary with depth, oxygen content or nutrient availability as had been anticipated. Accurate abundance estimates of viruses and bacteria throughout their environment are necessary for correct representations of the systems which drive global processes such as photosynthesis, respiration and carbon transport and sequestration.