marine environment where viruses will be the sole nutrient source for grazers. the results of this experiment have significant ecological impacts. copepods are capable of moving up and down the water column, and migrating short distances between feeding zones. specifically, for copepods and ehv, the movement of copepods can transport viruses into new and non-infected populations of e. huxleyi, promoting bloom demise. additionally, fecal pellets can sink from the mixed layer into deeper parts of the ocean, where they can be assimilated multiple times. these two scenarios represent potential mechanisms in which viruses can be introduced into new marine environments. non-host organisms negombata magnifica. a red sea sponge capable of filtering marine viruses. grazers are not the only organisms capable of removing viruses from the water column. non-host organisms such as anemones, polychaeta larvae, sea squirts, crabs, cockles, oysters, and sponges are all capable of significantly reducing the viral abundance. sponges were found to have the greatest potential for removing viruses. the method in which non-host organisms disrupt the viral-host contact is known as transmission interference. non-host organisms can either have a direct impact by removing the host-organisms, or an indirect one by removing the viruses. these mechanisms cause a reduction in the virus-host contact rates which could significantly impact local microbial population dynamics. non-host organisms are capable of removing viruses at rates comparable to natural food particles, bacterial cells, and algal cells, which is higher when compared to grazers that have a viral clearance rate around 4%. in regions of high sponge densities, such as coastal and tropical regions, it is likely that the virus removal rate has been underestimated. the effective removal of viruses likely has global ecological impacts that have gone unrecognized.