Ocean microbes are involved in global processes such as nutrient and carbon cycling. Recent studies indicated diverse modes of algal-bacterial interactions, including mutualism and pathogenicity, which have a substantial impact on ecology and oceanic carbon sequestration, and hence on climate. However, the airborne dispersal and pathogenicity of bacteria in the marine ecosystem remained elusive. Here we isolated an airborne algicidal bacterium, Roseovarius nubinhibens, emitted to the atmosphere as primary marine aerosol (also referred as sea spray aerosols) and collected above a coccolithophore bloom in the North Atlantic Ocean. The aerosolized bacteria retained infective properties and induced lysis of Gephyrocapsa huxleyi cultures. This suggests that the transport of marine bacteria through the atmosphere can effectively spread infection agents over vast oceanic regions, highlighting its significance in regulating cell fate in algal blooms.

中文翻译：

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空气中的杀藻细菌对海洋浮游植物水华的影响

海洋微生物参与营养物和碳循环等全球过程。最近的研究表明藻类-细菌相互作用的多种模式，包括互利共生和致病性，对生态和海洋碳固存以及气候产生重大影响。然而，海洋生态系统中细菌的空气传播和致病性仍然难以捉摸。在这里，我们分离出了一种空气中的杀藻细菌，Roseovarius nubinhibens，它以初级海洋气溶胶（也称为海喷雾气溶胶）的形式排放到大气中，并在北大西洋的一颗颗石藻华上收集。雾化的细菌保留了感染特性并诱导了 Gephyrocapsa Huxleyi 培养物的裂解。这表明海洋细菌通过大气的运输可以有效地将感染因子传播到广阔的海洋区域，凸显了其在调节藻华细胞命运方面的重要性。