Context
Recently, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have reported that a particular genus of plankton, namely Halteria, can ‘grow and divide given only viruses to eat’. This could be significant for the marine food chain.
About
We already know of other cells that can ‘consume’ viruses in an effort to destroy them — such as the macrophage cells of the human immune system. |
What is Halteria plankton?
How does Halteria consume viruses?
In the new study’s paper, the authors wrote that by also consuming viruses for nutrition, Halteria plankton can recover the nutrients lost in the viral shunt and bring them back into the food chain.
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Plankton contributes to the food chain:
Verifying, please be patient.