土壤病毒的生态学功能研究进展

Research progress in ecological functions of soil viruses

摘要:

病毒是由蛋白质外壳包被内含遗传物质，必须寄生在活细胞内才能进行增殖的非细胞型生物实体，它是地球上数量最多的生物实体之一。土壤是病毒的重要储藏库，其中以侵染原核生物的噬菌体为主。土壤病毒在调控宿主群落结构、驱动种群进化以及参与土壤元素循环等方面发挥着重要的生态功能。深入理解这些功能及其作用机制，不仅有助于揭示病毒在土壤生态系统中的重要角色，还为高效管理土壤环境的健康发展提供科学依据。本文概括了土壤噬菌体通过选择生存策略调控微生物组成和多样性，同时影响宿主的生存能力和毒力；介导基因水平转移以及与宿主的相互作用，影响微生物种群的进化；通过病毒分流(viral shunt)和携带辅助代谢基因介导元素循环；以及病毒对植物、动物和人体健康的广泛影响。基于上述分析，展望了土壤病毒生态学功能未来研究的重点。

Abstract:

Viruses, non-cellular biological entities composed of a protein shell and genetic materials, must parasitize living cells to proliferate and are the most numerous biological entities on Earth. Soil is an important reservoir of viruses, predominantly bacteriophages that infect prokaryotes. Soil viruses play crucial ecological roles in regulating host community structure, driving microbial evolution, and mediating biogeochemical cycles. Delving into these functions and their mechanisms not only elucidates the indispensable role of viruses in soil ecosystems but also underpins sustainable soil management. In this paper, we summarized current knowledge on the ecological functions of soil bacteriophages, including (1) host community modulation: selective survival strategies (e.g., lytic-lysogenic switches) that reshape microbial composition and diversity, while altering host virulence and fitness; (2) evolutionary drivers: horizontal gene transfer mediated by viral vectors and host-pathogen coevolution dynamics; (3) biogeochemical catalysts: the viral shunt mechanism, alongside auxiliary metabolic genes enhancing nutrient cycling; (4) cross-kingdom impacts: direct interactions with plant rhizospheres and indirect effects on human health via zoonotic gene dissemination. According to the research progress, we make an outlook on the future research directions regarding the ecological functions of soil viruses.