Fact of the Day: 23/01/2023

Scientists have been studying the carbon cycle for a long time, but that doesn’t mean everything is understood. In fact, they may have just found a new impactful discovery. 

Microorganisms are small single-celled organisms. They can be found in many environments. Halteria is a specific kind of microorganism that lives in freshwater and eats viruses of the Chlorovirus genus. Those viruses  infect and fill algae with viruses until the algae explode and  release nutrients, including carbon, into the environment. According to LiveScience.com, “Energy generally passes upward through the food chain as predators eat prey that have themselves consumed more simple and basic sources of nutrients, like algae. But when viruses destroy algae, that traps those nutrients at the bottom of the food chain” (par. 4). However, energy doesn’t stay trapped for long: Halteria’s eating of the viruses counteracts the process and keeps the energy moving, and the cycle cycling.  Researchers are just beginning to study this extraordinary organism, but who knows? It could forever change the way we think about our global carbon cycle.

Reference(s): https://www.livescience.com/organism-thrives-by-eating-viruses

Fact Author: Bailey W.

Fact Editor: Ace

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