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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDNature communications

Viral diversity and ecological functions in the world's largest deep-sea mineral exploration region.

  • Bowen Hou1,2
  • Lilan Zhang3,4
  • Dong Sun5,6,7
7 affiliations
  1. 1Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
  2. 2State Key Laboratory of Submarine Geoscience, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China.
  3. 3Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China. [email protected].
  4. 4State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China. [email protected].
  5. 5State Key Laboratory of Submarine Geoscience, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
  6. 6Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
  7. 7Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China. [email protected].
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Abstract

Deep-sea polymetallic nodule provinces host distinct benthic prokaryotic communities, yet viruses that regulate them remain largely unknown. Here, we established the viral genome dataset of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, the world's largest deep-sea mineral exploration region, to investigate viral diversity and ecological functions. Protein-sharing network and phylogenetic analyses showed extensive benthic viral diversity, with over 99% of viral clusters not represented in current reference databases. Inferred virus-host associations suggest that viral infections span a broad range of prokaryotic lineages involved in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and metal cycling. By infecting key functional microbes and encoding auxiliary metabolic genes, viruses may modulate host metabolism and survival during infection, with potential implications for biogeochemical processes in polymetallic nodule field sediments. Moreover, gene exchange analyses indicate the potential of viruses to facilitate host adaptation to metal stress. These findings provide insights into the ecological roles of viruses in the polymetallic nodule province, establishing a vital pre-mining baseline of microbial ecosystem for future environmental impact assessments.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{hou2026viral,
  title = {{Viral diversity and ecological functions in the world's largest deep-sea mineral exploration region.}},
  author = {Bowen Hou and Lilan Zhang and Dong Sun},
  journal = {Nature communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-78161-0},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42957726},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Viral diversity and ecological functions in the world's largest deep-sea mineral exploration region.
AU  - Bowen Hou
AU  - Lilan Zhang
AU  - Dong Sun
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/29
JO  - Nature communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-78161-0
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42957726
AB  - Deep-sea polymetallic nodule provinces host distinct benthic prokaryotic communities, yet viruses that regulate them remain largely unknown. Here, we established the viral genome dataset of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, the world's largest deep-sea mineral exploration region, to investigate viral diversity and ecological functions. Protein-sharing network and phylogenetic analyses showed extensive benthic viral diversity, with over 99% of viral clusters not represented in current reference databases. Inferred virus-host associations suggest that viral infections span a broad range of prokaryotic lineages involved in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and metal cycling. By infecting key functional microbes and encoding auxiliary metabolic genes, viruses may modulate host metabolism and survival during infection, with potential implications for biogeochemical processes in polymetallic nodule field sediments. Moreover, gene exchange analyses indicate the potential of viruses to facilitate host adaptation to metal stress. These findings provide insights into the ecological roles of viruses in the polymetallic nodule province, establishing a vital pre-mining baseline of microbial ecosystem for future environmental impact assessments.
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -