Aquatic Plants in Florida Springs Discovered to Have Viruses; How Dangerous Are These and What’s Causing Them?

Dr. Mya Breitbart's lab at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science is currently working on the problem aquatic plants are experiencing, figuring out which viruses are in aquatic habitats and what they are doing there.

As specified in a Phys.org report "viruses are a hot topic." Whereas the viruses that are dominating the news are causing diseases, this is not always the case. Some viruses are surviving in living things minus doing any harm. Some can even contribute to the host organism. There are various types of viruses worldwide, yet little is known about them.

Recently, a focus has been found on viruses in microphytes, a diversified group of photosynthetic plant-like group of organisms that are seen with the naked eye, in the beautiful freshwater springs of Florida.

Essentially, macrophytes include seagrasses, macroalgae, mosses, and liverworts, among others. Such organisms are helping keep the spring crystals clear, provide food for manatees and other animals, and aid with carbon and nutrient cycling in such distinctive environments.

Disease-Causing Viruses in Plants

As indicated in the study published in PeerJ, there are certain viruses that have long been known to cause disease in plants, as well as other land plants, so a great deal of energy and money is going into monitoring them.

Nevertheless, a lot of viruses are also infecting land plants minus causing harmful symptoms and some have been shown to be beneficial.

For instance, some viruses enhance the tolerance of a plant to drought. Different from land systems, nearly nothing is known about viruses in aquatic plants.

According to Dr. Karyna Rosario, lead researcher, it is mind-blowing that this research of viruses started with the "discovery of a plant virus, tobacco mosaic virus."

Yet, following a hundred years of virological study on terrestrial plants, those in the field have not paid attention to viruses that infect aquatic plants. Most of these plants might not be eaten, although they are vital for the health of both freshwater and marine systems.

Macrophytes in Freshwater Springs

This is quite a huge gap in research, and the Breitbart lab does not shy away from this work. In fact, the lead researcher added, they love to collect samples in the "chilly Florida springs."

This report by the University of South Florida also specified that, unlike land systems where vascular plants such as ferns, trees, and plants, are accountable for the majority of the photosynthesis and oxygen production, macrophytes such as mosses and macroalgae, are the prevailing photosynthetic organisms in the freshwater springs.

Discovering viruses in these local macrophytes is only the initial step, bringing up many more questions if viruses are affecting their hosts in a favorable or unfavorable manner.

There's also the question of how such relationships might be changed with future environmental changes, and if the springs' viruses are detected in other freshwater systems.

Results of the study have made the laboratory even more thrilling to explore the virus ecology within the aquatic macrophytes of Florida.

Related information about viruses in aquatic plants is shown on the iBiology's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Plants in Science Times.