Pedosphere 35(4): 617--626, 2025
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2025 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Impact of soil viruses on C emissions can be enhanced by viral shuttle processes in soil |
Di TONG1,2, Caixian TANG3, Jianming XU1,2 |
1 State Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Safety, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China)
2 Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China)
3 La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food, Department of Ecology, Plant and Animal Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3086 (Australia) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Soil viruses can greatly influence both microbial catabolism and anabolism. Understanding such influences is crucial for unraveling the fate of soil organic carbon (C). However, previous studies on soil viruses have primarily focused on their role in soil C loss, overlooking their role in C sequestration. In this study, soil viruses and microbes were introduced into sterilized samples of crop and forest soils from typical red and brown soil regions of China to examine the effects of soil viruses on C dynamics, from the perspective of C release and retention. The results showed that the viral effects on soil C emissions varied between soil types. However, they significantly enhanced the accumulation of recalcitrant dissolved and metal-bound organic C, which in turn reinforced the viral effects on C emissions. Furthermore, the accumulation of dissolved and metal-bound organic C was always associated with the microbial utilization of dissolved organic nitrogen (N), highlighting the coupled C and N cycling during the viral shuttle process. Our research demonstrates for the first time the virus-mediated coupling of C and N cycling in soils and the dual role of viruses in soil C release and stabilization, providing a new understanding of virus-driven soil C cycling. |
| Key Words: carbon dynamics,carbon release,carbon retention,carbon sequestration,coupled carbon and nitrogen cycling,metal-bound organic carbon,mineral carbon pump,recalcitrant dissolved organic carbon |
| Citation: Tong D, Tang C, Xu J M. 2025. Impact of soil viruses on C emissions can be enhanced by viral shuttle processes in soil. Pedosphere. 35(4): 617-626. |
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