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[14] [15] Marine viruses, although microscopic and essentially unnoticed by scientists until recently, are the most abundant and diverse biological entities in the ocean. Viruses have an estimated abundance of 10 30 in the ocean, or between 10 6 and 10 11 viruses per millilitre. [4]
The viral DNA is then replicated inside the nucleus by the host cell's machinery. Virus particles are assembled in the cytoplasm, usually occupying a space near the inner face of the nucleus. Due to the extremely small size of the algae cells, the average burst size was found to be 25 virus particles per cell. [45]
The origins of viruses in the evolutionary history of life are unclear: some may have evolved from plasmids—pieces of DNA that can move between cells—while others may have evolved from bacteria. In evolution, viruses are an important means of horizontal gene transfer , which increases genetic diversity . [ 32 ]
Orthopoxvirus particles. A DNA virus is a virus that has a genome made of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that is replicated by a DNA polymerase.They can be divided between those that have two strands of DNA in their genome, called double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses, and those that have one strand of DNA in their genome, called single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses. dsDNA viruses primarily belong ...
Viruses are found wherever there is life and have probably existed since living cells first evolved. [106] The origin of viruses is unclear because they do not form fossils, so molecular techniques have been used to compare the DNA or RNA of viruses and are a useful means of investigating how they arise. [107]
Some members of this family can have a linear double-stranded DNA while others have a circular double stranded DNA. The genome has been found to be up to 560 kilobases in length. Up to 50% of the DNA can be represented by guanine or cytosine. This virus is known to infect algae, which means it is found in the ocean. [26]
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They make up about 25% of all microbial plankton cells, and in the summer they may account for approximately half the cells present in temperate ocean surface water. The total abundance of P. ubique and relatives is estimated to be about 2 × 10 28 microbes. [ 70 ]