When do phages shape microbial communities? Assessing how changes in abiotic and biotic conditions impact the importance of phage

Bacteriophage - viruses that infect bacteria - are the most abundant life-forms on Earth, and are thought to be important in controlling microbial communities and - through this control - key ecosystem functions such as carbon and nutrient cycling and preventing bacterial disease. However, the evidence of the role phage plays in microbial…