In the photic zone of aquatic ecosystems, microorganisms with different metabolisms and their viruses form complex interactions and food webs. Within these interactions, phototrophic microorganisms such as eukaryotic microalgae and cyanobacteria interact directly with sunlight, and thereby generate circadian rhythms. Diel cycling originally generated in microbial phototrophs is directly transmitted toward heterotrophic microorganisms utilizing the photosynthetic products as they are excreted or exuded. Such diel cycling seems to be indirectly propagated toward heterotrophs as a result of complex biotic interactions. For example, cell death of phototrophic microorganisms induced by viral lysis and protistan grazing provides additional resources of dissolved organic matter to the microbial community, and so generates diel cycling in other heterotrophs with different nutrient dependencies. Likewise, differences in the diel transmitting pathway via complex interactions among heterotrophs, and between heterotrophs and their viruses, may also generate higher variation and time lag diel rhythms in different heterotrophic taxa. Thus, sunlight and photosynthesis not only contribute energy and carbon supply, but also directly or indirectly control diel cycling of the microbial community through complex interactions in the photic zone of aquatic ecosystems.

在水生生态系统的光带中，不同代谢的微生物及其病毒形成复杂的相互作用和食物网。在这些相互作用中，真核微藻和蓝藻等光养微生物直接与阳光相互作用，从而产生昼夜节律。最初在微生物光养生物中产生的 Diel 循环利用光合产物在排泄或渗出时直接传递给异养微生物。由于复杂的生物相互作用，这种昼夜循环似乎间接地向异养生物传播。例如，由病毒裂解和原生生物放牧引起的光养微生物的细胞死亡为微生物群落提供了额外的溶解有机物资源，从而在具有不同营养依赖性的其他异养生物中产生昼夜循环。同样，通过异养生物之间以及异养生物与其病毒之间的复杂相互作用，饮食传播途径的差异也可能在不同的异养分类群中产生更高的变异和时间滞后的饮食节律。因此，阳光和光合作用不仅提供能量和碳供应，而且还通过水生生态系统光带中的复杂相互作用直接或间接控制微生物群落的日粮循环。