The consumption of viruses returns energy to food chains

Article Ecology

FoRAGE database: A compilation of functional responses for consumers and parasitoids

Stella F. Uiterwaal et al.

Summary: Functional responses, which describe the relationship between consumer foraging rate and resource density, play a crucial role in understanding consumer-resource interactions and population dynamics. This study presents a global database of standardized functional responses and parameters, covering a wide range of consumer and resource species. The database provides valuable data for future research on ecological interactions.

ECOLOGY (2022)

Add to Collection

Article Engineering, Environmental

Removal of Waterborne Viruses by Tetrahymena pyriformis Is Virus-Specific and Coincides with Changes in Protist Swimming Speed

Margot Olive et al.

Summary: Biological treatment of waterborne viruses through protists' grazing behavior is effective and consistent, regardless of the presence of multiple viruses. The extent of virus removal is correlated with an increase in the protists' swimming speed, indicating a response to the availability of food. The feeding behavior is likely driven by the hydrophobicity of the viruses, rather than their size or the presence of a lipid envelope.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (2022)

Add to Collection

Review Microbiology

Towards an integrative view of virus phenotypes

John P. DeLong et al.

Summary: This review discusses the traits of viral cells and viral particles, as well as how to categorize virus phenotypes; the foundational goal in biology is understanding how phenotypes emerge from genotypes; identifying the features that constitute a virus's phenotype is crucial for comprehensive interpretation of viral genome sequences and for advancing our understanding of viral evolution and ecology.

NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY (2022)

Add to Collection

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences