Abstract:[Background] As an essential part of freshwater ecosystem, virioplankton plays a key role in shaping the planktonic community structure and regulating the biogeochamical cycle of nutrients in water. The hydrodynamic process of reservoir is different from that of lake, and the disturbance may affect the virioplankton-host dynamics. [Objective] To reveal the effect of hydraulic disturbance on virioplankton-host dynamics and thus to lay a scientific basis for explaining the ecological function of virioplankton in reservoir. [Methods] The water sample from Xiangxi Bay was used and different flows were simulated. The parameters such as virioplankton abundance, host abundance, host lysis rate, and percentage of lysogenic host were monitored, and the relationship of the parameters with environmental factors was analyzed. [Results] The flow at 0.05 m/s and 0.10 m/s significantly promoted the growth of phytoplankton and bacteriaplankton but had no significant influence on the abundance of virioplankton. Disturbance enhanced the virus-mediated lysis of phytoplankton and bacteriaplankton, particularly the flow at 0.05 m/s. Meanwhile, the disturbance significantly reduced the phytoplankton lysogenic induction rate but caused the significant increase in the bacteriaplankton lysogenic induction rate (P <0.05). [Conclusion] The simulated disturbance had significant impact on the virioplankton-host dynamics, indicating that the survival strategy of reservoir virioplankton may be different from that of lake virioplankton.
