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Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Estimating Virus Production Rates in Aquatic Systems
Published on: September 22, 2010
The "Regulator" Function of Viruses on Ecosystem Carbon Cycling in the Anthropocene
Yang Gao1,2, Yao Lu1,2, Jennifer A J Dungait3,4
1Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Viruses act as "regulators" of the global carbon cycle because they impact the material cycles and energy flows of food webs and the microbial loop. The average contribution of viruses to the Earth ecosystem carbon cycle is 8.6‰, of which its contribution to marine ecosystems (1.4‰) is less than its contribution to terrestrial (6.7‰) and freshwater (17.8‰) ecosystems. Over the past 2,000 years, anthropogenic activities and climate change have gradually altered the regulatory role of viruses in ecosystem carbon cycling processes. This has been particularly conspicuous over the past 200 years due to rapid industrialization and attendant population growth. The progressive acceleration of the spread and reproduction of viruses may subsequently accelerate the global C cycle.
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