Diversity and ecological footprint of Global Ocean RNA viruses.
Guillermo Dominguez-HuertaAhmed A ZayedJames M WainainaJiarong GuoFuning TianAkbar Adjie PratamaBenjamin BolducMohamed MohssenOlivier ZablockiEric PelletierErwan DelageAdriana AlbertiJean-Marc AuryQuentin CarradecCorinne Da SilvaKarine LabadieJulie Poulainnull nullChris BowlerDamien EveillardLionel GuidiEric KarsentiJ Thomas BeattyHiroyuki OgataPatrick WinckerAlexander I CulleySamuel ChaffronMatthew B SullivanPublished in: Science (New York, N.Y.) (2022)
DNA viruses are increasingly recognized as influencing marine microbes and microbe-mediated biogeochemical cycling. However, little is known about global marine RNA virus diversity, ecology, and ecosystem roles. In this study, we uncover patterns and predictors of marine RNA virus community- and "species"-level diversity and contextualize their ecological impacts from pole to pole. Our analyses revealed four ecological zones, latitudinal and depth diversity patterns, and environmental correlates for RNA viruses. Our findings only partially parallel those of cosampled plankton and show unexpectedly high polar ecological interactions. The influence of RNA viruses on ecosystems appears to be large, as predicted hosts are ecologically important. Moreover, the occurrence of auxiliary metabolic genes indicates that RNA viruses cause reprogramming of diverse host metabolisms, including photosynthesis and carbon cycling, and that RNA virus abundances predict ocean carbon export.