IMIS

We found that within 24hr alkalinity concentration stabilized and nutrient uptake declined to background levels. In parallel, the stoichiometric ratio of carbon to nitrogen increased and the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio declined. These variations likely resulted from lipid accumulation required for viral replication and the differential retention of phosphorus-rich macromolecular pools in decaying cells, respectively. Finally, after host population decay, a progressive enrichment in phosphorus relative to nitrogen and carbon was detected in the remaining cell lysates. We estimate that this post-infection stoichiometric shift was driven by the accumulation of heterotrophic bacteria involved in the degradation of organic material. Viral-mediated cell remodeling and consequent shifts in biomass stoichiometry likely impacts the patterns of nutrient cycling and biological carbon pump efficiency during large-scale blooms in the oceans.