Summary
Viruses cause disease in humans, plants, animals, and even microbes in natural ecosystems. Biologists are only beginning to understand how, through microbial infection and mortality, viruses play a vital role in regulating microbial activities, like the movement of key nutrients in the environment. A keen understanding of nutrient cycling is particularly important in lakes, which are a vital freshwater resource for all Americans. Recent research indicates that viruses may have a bigger and more complex role in nature than previously understood, including serving as a food source for larger mic
