Joshua S. Weitz

Particle-based representation of phytoplankton modulates emergent coexistence and biogeography in a model ocean

This study compares Eulerian and Lagrangian models of phytoplankton communities in an ocean circulation model, showing that particle-based methods produce distinct biogeography and diversity patterns.

Slower-than-exponential viral decay is prevalent and can reshape virus-microbe dynamics

The paper reassesses viral decay assumptions in 17 datasets, finding biphasic decay is common and shows aggregation mechanisms can explain high virion abundances and low infection prevalence.

Implicit representation of viruses fails to capture impacts of virus-induced mortality in global marine ecosystem models

The paper compares implicit and explicit representations of viral dynamics in marine ecosystem models, finding that explicit models better capture virus-induced mortality effects on phytoplankton blooms.

Inferring single-cell heterogeneity of bacteriophage lysis-associated life-history traits from population-scale dynamics

The paper infers single-cell heterogeneity in bacteriophage lysis-associated traits from population-scale dynamics, showing that burst size variability is largely explained by latent period differences.

Virus-grazer interplay enhances virus production, particle aggregation, and trophic efficiency during infection of Prochlorococcus

The paper investigates how virus-grazer interactions affect Prochlorococcus mortality, virus production, and organic matter aggregation in a simplified marine ecosystem.

Viral impacts on plankton standing stocks, primary productivity, and biogeochemistry in a model ocean

The paper models viral impacts on ocean productivity and biogeochemistry, showing that high viral shunt efficiency enhances productivity across much of the global ocean.

Coexistence of Photosynthetic Marine Microorganisms, Viruses, and Grazers: Toward Integration in Ocean Ecosystem Models

This paper develops a community model to investigate mechanisms enabling coexistence of viruses, grazers, and phytoplankton in marine ecosystems, finding that viral life history traits and predator mortality terms are critical for stability.

Density-dependent feedback and higher-order interactions enable coexistence in phage-bacteria community dynamics

This study shows that higher-order interactions and density-dependent feedback stabilize phage-bacteria communities, challenging pairwise model predictions of population collapse.

Phage infection fronts trigger early sporulation and collective defense in bacterial populations

The paper shows that sporulation in B. subtilis reduces phage plaque size by creating spore-rich rings that block phage access to susceptible cells.

Phase separation and coexistence in spatial coordination games between microbes

This paper shows that spatial coordination games between microbes lead to phase separation and coexistence, with universal scaling consistent with experimental observations.

Seasonal Enhancement of the Viral Shunt Catalyzes a Subsurface Oxygen Maximum in the Sargasso Sea

The paper identifies viral shunt activity as a driver of seasonal subsurface oxygen maxima in the Sargasso Sea by linking elevated cyanophage activity and bacterial catabolism.

Sub-daily Bermuda Atlantic Time Series virus sampling reveals taxonomy, host, and functional differences at the population, but not community level

The paper samples and analyzes viruses in the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series to reveal population-level dynamics and functional differences, but not community-level changes over short timeframes.

Viral community diversity in the rhizosphere of the foundation salt marsh plant Spartina alterniflora

The paper analyzes viral communities in the rhizosphere of Spartina alterniflora, showing that plant compartment and phenotype influence viral composition and identifying novel viruses potentially affecting key microbial functions.

Prophage induction states drive structural and synergistic outcomes in marine bacterial biofilms

This study shows that prophage induction states in marine bacteria influence biofilm structure and competitive outcomes, revealing synergistic effects in co-cultures through phage-mediated interactions.

Stable coexistence and transport of lytic phage infections with migrating bacterial hosts

The paper shows how spatial interactions enable stable coexistence and transport of virulent phages with migrating bacteria, using theory, simulation, and experiments across multiple systems.

Diel Partitioning in Microbial Phosphorus Acquisition in the Sargasso Sea

The paper shows that in the phosphorus-limited Sargasso Sea, different microbes uptake phosphorus at different times of day, supporting temporal niche partitioning.

Multi-strain phage induced clearance of bacterial infections

This study uses computational models to show that phage cocktails targeting different bacterial receptors improve treatment outcomes in immunocompromised hosts and reduce resistance evolution.

Episomal virus maintenance enables bacterial population recovery from infection and virus-bacterial coexistence

This study shows that episomal virus maintenance in Salinibacter ruber allows population recovery from infection and supports virus-bacterial coexistence under high MOI.

Eco-evolutionary dynamics of temperate phages in periodic environments

This study examines eco-evolutionary dynamics of temperate phages in periodic environments, showing how temperate strategies can outperform lytic or lysogenic strategies under varying host availability and viral mortality.

Temperature-driven biogeography of marine giant viruses infecting the picoeukaryote Micromonas

This study investigates how temperature influences the biogeography of marine giant viruses infecting Micromonas, using modeling and observational data to show temperature drives viral distribution and population dynamics.

Accounting for Cellular-Level Variation in Lysis: Implications for Virus-Host Dynamics

This paper shows that one-step growth curves underestimate the mean latent period of bacteriophages due to cellular-level variability in lysis timing, and proposes a computational framework to correct this bias.

Inferring strain-level mutational drivers of phage-bacteria interaction phenotypes arising during coevolutionary dynamics

The paper uses machine learning to predict phage-bacteria interactions from genome sequences and phenotypic data, achieving 86% accuracy in predicting interactions and reducing error by 40%.

Combined pigment and metatranscriptomic analysis reveals synchronized diel patterns of phenotypic light response across domains in the open ocean

The paper analyzes pigment and metatranscriptomic data to show synchronized diel patterns of phytoplankton light response across domains in the open ocean.

Functional and comparative genomic analysis of integrated prophage-like sequences in Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus

The paper identifies and characterizes prophage-like sequences in 15 Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus genomes, revealing a new prophage-like type associated with pathogenicity.

Re-examining the relationship between virus and microbial cell abundances in the global oceans

This study re-examines the relationship between virus and microbial cell abundances in the ocean, finding that virus-to-prokaryote ratios vary nonlinearly and are better described by power-law functions than fixed ratios.