Collaborative research: ecological significance and impact of viral infections on sulfate reducing microbial communities

The National Science Foundation Division of Ocean Sciences awarded $434,023 to Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium (Dauphin Island Sea Lab) on January 15, 2026, under the Geosciences program to conduct collaborative research on viral infections in sulfate-reducing microbial communities and their role in biogeochemical cycling. The research investigates how viruses interact with sulfate-reducing bacteria in Gulf of Mexico sediments and how these interactions influence carbon and sulfur cycling through environmental observations, process-oriented biogeochemical incubations, and reactive transport modeling. The project quantifies viral impacts on sediment metabolism and microbial sulfate reduction rates and elucidates virus-microorganism interactions controlling early diagenetic processes. Work is performed in Dauphin Island, Alabama, with a period of performance through August 31, 2028. The award supports STEM workforce development through experiential learning activities at K-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels, emphasizing Gulf Coast research environments and the ecological significance of microorganisms and viruses in coastal ecosystems.

Abstract

Viruses are the most abundant biological organisms on our planet. While all microbial populations are impacted by viral infections, little is known about the impact of viral infections on specific microbial populations. The consequences of virus?microbe interactions on biogeochemical cycles are also poorly understood. This project focuses on sulfate reduction, a key process that links the global elemental cycles of carbon and sulfur. The research aims to understand the relationships between viruses and sulfate reducing bacteria and how these interactions contribute to carbon cycling. This project also supports stem workforce development through experiential learning activities at k-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels. The training activities highlight research on the gulf coast and how the gulf is a unique environment. In addition, the education activities emphasize the importance of sulfate reduction and other geochemical processes and showcase the importance of microorganisms in coastal ecosystems. The project aims to change the negative view of viruses as agents of diseases by highlighting the essential roles of viruses in ecosystem processes. The project uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the relationship between viral activity and sediment microbial metabolism, specifically sulfate reduction, through environmental observations, process-oriented biogeochemical incubations and modeling. This research provides novel insight into the interactions between viruses and microorganisms, and how they control early diagenetic processes by (i) determining the impact of viruses on sediment metabolism in general, (II) quantifying the influence of viruses on microbial sulfate reduction rates, (II) elucidating the interactions of sulfate reducing microorganisms and viruses. These results are being incorporated into a reactive transport model to describe viral dynamics and their interactions with the c, s, and FE cycles. The model forms a framework to integrate the observational data and provides a tool for estimating the broader implications of the targeted virus-microorganism interactions quantified in the sulfate reduction zone. This project is jointly funded by the biological oceanography and chemical oceanography programs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.