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The 'Neglected' Soil Virome - Potential Role and Impact
Akbar Adjie Pratama1, Jan Dirk van Elsas1
1Department of Microbial Ecology, Microbial Ecology - Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
Trends in Microbiology
|January 8, 2018
Summary
Soil viromes, particularly bacteriophages, are understudied compared to marine viral communities. This review compares soil and marine viromes, highlighting challenges and future research needs for soil virology.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Ecology
- Virology
Background:
- Bacteriophages are abundant and diverse, crucial for bacterial evolution.
- Marine viral communities are well-studied, unlike terrestrial soil viromes.
- Understanding soil viromes is key to comprehending terrestrial ecosystem functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare knowledge of soil viromes with marine viral communities.
- To analyze bacteriophage abundance, diversity, and ecological roles in soil.
- To identify challenges and future research directions in soil virology.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of existing literature on soil and marine viromes.
- Review of studies focusing on bacteriophage abundance and diversity.
- Examination of ecological significance and host-pathogen evolutionary dynamics.
Main Results:
- Soil viromes remain significantly understudied compared to marine counterparts.
- Bacteriophages play a critical role in terrestrial microbial evolution.
- Key challenges in soil virology include sampling and methodological limitations.
Conclusions:
- Further research is essential to elucidate the function of soil viromes.
- Standardized methods are needed to advance soil virology.
- Bridging the knowledge gap between marine and soil virology is crucial for ecosystem understanding.