Impact of Virus‐Mediated Modifications in Bacterial Communities on the Accumulation of Soil Organic Carbon

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Abstract
Microbial adaptations to resource availability are crucial to predict the responses of ecosystems to carbon (C) changes, yet viral roles in C cycling under varying levels of C remain elusive. Through metagenomic analysis of soils with contrasting C availability, a total of 24,789 viral contigs predominantly represent Microviridae and Siphoviridae . The soils with low C availability (straw removal) harbored 21% lysogenic viruses and enriched auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) related to C degradation ( p < 0.05). Conversely, the soils with high C availability (straw returning) show 93% lytic viruses, stronger virus‐bacteria symbiosis, and numerous host functional genes related to C cycling and viral AMGs linked to C fixation ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, these findings show that the addition of viruses boosted microbial metabolic efficiency and recalcitrant C accumulation ( p < 0.05), with lytic activity accelerating organic C turnover via nutrient release and necromass formation. Overall, this study demonstrates viruses as key regulators of sustainable sequestration of C through host‐driven metabolic optimization.
Funding Information
  • National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD1500401)
  • National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFD1901001)
  • Agriculture Research System of China (CARS‐03)
  • Agriculture Research System of China (CARS‐52)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (42277336)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20221561)

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