Are Viruses Really Guardians of the Planet?
Abstract
Viruses are by far the most abundant ‘lifeforms’ and are the reservoir of much of its genetic diversity. Each time you swim in the ocean, you swallow about as many viruses as there are people on the Earth. If the viruses in the ocean were stretched end to end, they would span 10 million light years farther than the nearest 60 galaxies. Every second, about 7 times more infections occur in the ocean than the Big Bang 14.5 billion years ago. These infections are a major source of mortality, and cause disease in organisms, from bacteria to whales. As a result, viruses influence the composition of marine communities and are a major force behind global nutrient and energy cycling. Hence, viruses cause death, but also sustain life by liberating nutrients that would otherwise be tied up. Probing this vast reservoir of genetic and biological diversity continues to yield exciting discoveries.
About the speaker
Prof. Curtis Suttle holds his BSc in Zoology and PhD in Botany, both from the University of British Columbia (UBC). He held positions as the Coastal Marine Scholar at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin before returning to UBC where he is currently the Professor of Earth & Ocean Sciences, Microbiology & Immunology, and Botany as well as the Associate Dean of Science for Research.
Prof. Suttle is one of the world's leading marine virologists. His research interests cross over many fields including biological oceanography, environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, virology and phycology. He has authored over 100 scientific papers and has published in many of the most highly ranked journals including Nature, Science and Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences.
Prof. Suttle’s scholarship has been recognized by being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, appointed as a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and recipient of the A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in Marine Science. He has been an active member of numerous scientific societies and has held elected office in the American Society of Microbiology, the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, and the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses. He has had editorial responsibilities for Limnology and Oceanography, Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology.
