Diversity and ecological footprint of Global Ocean RNA viruses
Guillermo Domínguez‐Huerta, Ahmed A. Zayed, James M. Wainaina, Jiarong Guo, Funing Tian, Akbar Adjie Pratama, Benjamin Bolduc, Mohamed Mohssen, Olivier Zablocki, Éric Pelletier, Erwan Delage, Adriana Alberti, Jean‐Marc Aury, Quentin Carradec, Corinne Da Silva, Karine Labadie, Julie Poulain, Tara Oceans Coordinators§, Chris Bowler, Damien Eveillard, Lionel Guidi, Eric Karsenti, Jens H. Kuhn, Hiroyuki Ogata, Patrick Wincker, Alexander I. Culley, Samuel Chaffron, Matthew B. Sullivan
Abstract
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.