10.2.1: Viral predation/parasitism of bacteria

Everywhere cellular microorganisms exist, viruses also exist. Viruses can kill cellular microorganisms, and thus influence the death rate of a population. Some species within a community may be more susceptible to infection from a particular virus than others. Therefore, viral predation/parasitism can alter proportions of species within an overall microbial community (Danczak et al., 2020; Orsi, 2018).

Previous studies show that bacteriophages, or viruses that prey on bacteria, play a major role in the evolution of microbial communities (Fernandez et al., 2018). Phage genetic information can be incorporated into bacterial genomes and phages introduce selection pressure for community traits. Responses to viral predation are complex and depend on factors that include the identity of the bacterial host and virus and the extent of infection (Fernandez et al., 2018).

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