Biotechnology applications utilizing the function of microbial communities have become increasingly important solutions as we strive for sustainable applications. Although viral infections are known to have a significant impact on microbial turnover and nutrient cycling, viral dynamics have remained largely overlooked in these engineered communities. Predatory perturbations to the functional stability of these microbial biotechnology applications must be investigated in order to design more robust applications. In this study, we closely examine virus-microbe dynamics in a model microbial community used in a biotechnology application. Our findings suggest that viral dynamics change significantly with environmental conditions and that microbial immunity may play an important role in maintaining functional stability. We present this study as a comprehensive template for other researchers interested in exploring predatory dynamics in engineered microbial communities.
Keywords: CRISPR-Cas; alkaliphiles; applied microbiology; biotechnology; cyanobacteria; metagenomics; microbial ecology; phages; viral dynamics.