Phage Communication and the Ecological Implications on Microbial Interactions, Diversity, and Function

Viruses are extraordinarily abundant on Earth, containing a vast reservoir of genetic diversity. Despite the numerical abundance of soil viruses, even the most basic aspects of their ecology are poorly investigated. We know very little concerning the spatial and temporal variability of viral abundance and diversity, rates of viral turnover/production, and host specificity. Viruses in other environments are known to modulate microbial communities and their host processes through viral-mediated cell lysis and/or lysogenic interactions. Thus, the ecological impact of viruses on the community level can depend on whether their reproduction is predominantly lytic or lysogenic. Evidence has emerged suggesting temperate viruses can modulate their reproductive effort (either lytic or lysogenic pathways) based on cell-cell, phage-cell, and phage-phage communication. In this review, recent progress in aspects of phage ecology are discussed with emphasis on phage-bacterial interactions at both molecular and community levels.