Throughout their evolutionary history, bacteria have faced diverse threats from other
microorganisms, including competing bacteria, bacteriophages and predators. In response …

CRISPR–Cas is a widespread adaptive immune system in bacteria and archaea that
protects against viral infection by targeting specific invading nucleic acid sequences …

Although it is generally accepted that phages drive bacterial evolution, how these dynamics
play out in the wild remains poorly understood. We found that susceptibility to viral killing in …

While decomposition of organic matter by bacteria plays a major role in nutrient cycling in
terrestrial ecosystems, the significance of viruses remains poorly understood. Here we …

Coevolution between bacteriophages (phages) and their bacterial hosts occurs through
changes in resistance and counter-resistance mechanisms. To assess phage–host …

Bacteriophages are ubiquitous viral predators that have primarily been studied using fast-
growing laboratory cultures of their bacterial hosts. However, microbial life in nature is …

Viruses of bacteria (bacteriophages or phage) have broad effects on bacterial ecology and
evolution in nature that mediate microbial interactions, shape bacterial diversity, and …

Phage predation is generally assumed to reduce microbial proliferation while not
contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance. However, this assumption does not …

To contend with the diversity and ubiquity of bacteriophages and other mobile genetic
elements, bacteria have developed an arsenal of immune defence mechanisms. Bacterial …

Recent advances in environmental genomics have provided unprecedented opportunities
for the investigation of viruses in natural settings. Yet, our knowledge of viral biogeographic …