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An article led by PhD candidate Bailey Wallace introducing a new method to recover viral genomes from coral and a meta-analysis of viral genomes from public datasets was published on the ISME Journal. Click here to read the publication. 
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Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, and viruses are the most diverse biological entities in these environments.
Our lab is studying how viruses that infect bacteria can help coral reefs thrive by killing pathogenic bacteria, and what happens when instead of killing, viruses make alliances with their bacterial hosts for the detriment of corals.
Our lab is studying how viruses that infect bacteria can help coral reefs thrive by killing pathogenic bacteria, and what happens when instead of killing, viruses make alliances with their bacterial hosts for the detriment of corals.
A collaborative review led by Christian Voolstra and co-authored by Dr. Silveira was cover of the August edition of Nature Reviews Microbiology. In this review, we summarize the ecological and metabolic interactions between bacteria and other holobiont members, highlight the biotic and abiotic factors influencing the structure of bacterial communities and discuss the impact of climate change on these communities and their coral hosts. We emphasize how microbiome-based interventions can help to decipher key mechanisms underpinning coral health and promote reef resilience.
VIRAL PREDATION PRESSURE ON CORAL REEFS
Viruses can behave like predators of bacteria, just like sharks prey on herbivorous fish. Our 2023 study published on BMC Biology showed that pressure from these two predator groups together, sharks and viruses, contribute to healthy coral reefs.
However, on degraded reefs with fewer corals, there is an absence of fish and viral predators. Instead, viruses can collude with the bacteria they infect by turning these bacteria pathogenic and causing further coral loss.
However, on degraded reefs with fewer corals, there is an absence of fish and viral predators. Instead, viruses can collude with the bacteria they infect by turning these bacteria pathogenic and causing further coral loss.
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