Lauren Davies

Phages, viruses that infect bacteria, are obligately dependent on bacterial hosts for replication of their genome. Lysis by phage impacts the microbial loop directly by redirecting dissolved organic matter (DOM) and shuttling of particulate organic matter (POM). Phages are involved in horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in the environment and can influence species diversity. Despite their impact, the ecological and evolutionary basis of phage-bacteria interactions in freshwater is still undercharacterised. This project is part of the MULTIPHAGE project which is funded by the EU under an ERC starting grant. The project will employ a combination of different high-throughput omics methods with cultivation to fully disentangle eco-evolutionary aspects of phage-host interaction in freshwater ecosystems.