Potential viral influence on sulfur metabolism in acid sulfate soils

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dc.contributor.authorBi, L.
dc.contributor.authorDu, S.
dc.contributor.authorFitzpatrick, R.
dc.contributor.authorChen, Q.L.
dc.contributor.authorNguyen, T.B.A.
dc.contributor.authorHe, Z.Y.
dc.contributor.authorHe, J.Z.
dc.contributor.authorHu, H.W.
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractAcid sulfate soils cover extensive areas across the globe and pose profound ecological and economic challenges. While microbial activities associated with sulfur metabolisms primarily mediate the formation process of acid sulfate soils, the potential impact of viruses, known for their roles in infecting microorganisms or encoding auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), remains largely unexplored. Here, we characterized the community and biogeochemical impacts of viruses in unoxidized acid sulfate soils (hypersulfidic soils, pH 6.5–7.3) and oxidized acid sulfate soils (sulfuric soils, pH < 3.3) using paired viromes and total metagenomes. Our results revealed higher diversity and distinct composition of viral communities in hypersulfidic soils compared to sulfuric soils. In hypersulfidic soils, we identified 30 times more virus-encoded AMGs and observed an average abundance 6.6 times higher than in sulfuric soils. Particularly, the identification of AMGs associated with assimilatory and dissimilatory sulfate reduction, organosulfur compound degradation, organic matter degradation, and electron transfer implied the potential role of viruses in influencing sulfur cycling and the formation of sulfidic materials in Hypersulfidic soils. The virus-host predictions linked seven lysogenic and 55 lytic vOTUs to sulfate-reducing and sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms in both soils, suggesting that viruses play a role in sulfur cycling through host infection. Altogether, our findings highlight the potential roles of viruses in influencing sulfur cycling processes in acid sulfate soils.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityLi Bi, Shuai Du, Rob Fitzpatrick, Qing-Lin Chen, Thi Bao-Anh Nguyen, Zi-Yang He, Ji-Zheng He, Hang-Wei Hu
dc.identifier.citationSoil Biology and Biochemistry, 2025; 205:109773-1-109773-11
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109773
dc.identifier.issn0038-0717
dc.identifier.issn1879-3428
dc.identifier.orcidFitzpatrick, R. [0000-0002-9235-0360]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/147414
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP210100332
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE210100271
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT230100158
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IH200100023
dc.rights© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109773
dc.subjectAcid sulfate soils; Soil viruses; Metagenome; Virome; Auxiliary metabolic genes; Sulfur cycling; Virus-host interactions
dc.titlePotential viral influence on sulfur metabolism in acid sulfate soils
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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