Novel Viral Communities Potentially Assisting in Carbon, Nitrogen, and Sulfur Metabolism in the Upper Slope Sediments of Mariana Trench
Jiulong Zhao, Hongmei Jing, Zengmeng Wang, Long Wang, Huahua Jian, Rui Zhang, Xiang Xiao, Feng Chen, Nianzhi Jiao, Yongyu Zhang
Abstract
The Mariana Trench harbors a substantial number of infective viral particles. However, very little is known about the identity, survival strategy, and potential functions of viruses in the trench sediments. Here, through metagenomic analysis, unusual benthic viral communities with high diversity and novelty were discovered. Among them, 59% of the viruses with a genome completeness of >90% represent novel genera. Various auxiliary metabolic genes carried by these viruses reflect the potential adaptive characteristics of viruses in this extreme environment and the biogeochemical cycles that they may participate in. This study gives us a deeper understanding of the peculiarities of viral communities in deep-sea/hadal sediments.