NEW DATA ON THE ABUNDANCE AND VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF VIRIOPLANKTON IN THE DEEP-WATER AND NERITIC ZONES OF THE BLACK SEA
Journal: Journal of Oceanological Research
Year: 2024

Viruses play a key role in the functioning of marine ecosystems, controlling the number and activity of microorganisms. However, the virioplankton of the Black Sea has been practically unstudied. In this work, for the first time, quantitative data on the distribution of viruses in the water column of the Black Sea was obtained by direct counting using epifluorescence microscopy. The research was carried out in October 2022 on cruise 124 of the R/V “Professor Vodyanitsky”. Samples were taken on t