Viruses could reshuffle the carbon cycle in a warming world
Viruses may have unanticipated consequences for ecosystem responses to
climate change

Date:
May 8, 2023
Source:
DOE/US Department of Energy
Summary:
The roles microbes play in ecosystems are changing with global
warming.

Microbes are also affected by infection by viruses, but scientists
know relatively little about how these viral infections could
change how microbes react to warming. In this study, scientists
describe different ways that increasing temperatures could affect
viruses and their microbial hosts. Their preliminary models show
that viruses could alter carbon balance, causing some ecosystems
to switch from net carbon sources to net carbon sinks.


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FULL STORY ========================================================================== Microbes play important roles in ecosystems, and these roles are changing
with global warming. Scientists also now know that most types of microbes
are infected by viruses, but they know relatively little about how
these viral infections could change how microbes react to warming. In
this study, scientists describe many different ways that increasing temperatures could affect viruses and their microbial hosts. These
changes could ultimately affect the responses of whole ecosystems
to warming. The work exposes several important gaps in researchers'
current knowledge about the connections between viruses, warming, and
ecosystem functioning. Filling these gaps is crucial for understanding
and predicting the effects of climate change on ecosystems.

This study creates a roadmap for understanding the many different
ways that viruses could modify the effects of warming on communities
of microbes. Viruses likely have strong effects on processes with
microbes and the ways ecosystems function. Incorporating these previously ignored effects into ecosystem models will help scientists improve their predictions of how ecosystems could respond to climate change.

Microorganisms play integral roles in ecosystems by controlling
the flow of energy and matter through processes like photosynthesis
(carbon uptake), respiration (carbon release), and decomposition (carbon recycling). Climate change is currently altering how ecosystems function
by changing how organisms operate within microbial food webs. Scientists
know that viruses can have strong impacts on microbial processes, but they
have less knowledge of how these impacts will change with future warming.

In this study, scientists from Duke University, the University of
Tennessee Knoxville, the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory reviewed the potential impacts of warming on viruses
and how these might alter scientific understanding of ecosystem responses
to climate change.

Warming likely affects several different stages of the viral infection
cycle, as well as virus-host dynamics. However, there are still many gaps
in our understanding about these effects. Because viruses are ubiquitous
across all habitats and have strong effects on microbial functioning,
filling these gaps is critical to understanding how warming will affect
the flow of energy and matter within ecosystems. The researchers'
preliminary models show that viruses could potentially tip the scales on natural carbon balances, causing some ecosystems to switch from being
net carbon sources (releasing more carbon than they store) to being
net carbon sinks (absorbing carbon). This study shows how incorporating
viruses into predictive models can lead to new and unexpected effects
on ecosystems in response to climate change.

This work was supported by the Department of Energy Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research program.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Viruses # Foodborne_Illness # Medical_Topics
o Plants_&_Animals
# Nature # Microbes_and_More # Ecology_Research
o Earth_&_Climate
# Global_Warming # Climate # Ecology
* RELATED_TERMS
o Carbon_dioxide_sink o Microorganism
o Climate_change_mitigation o Forest o
Global_warming o Fossil_fuel o Climate_engineering o
Consensus_of_scientists_regarding_global_warming

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by DOE/US_Department_of_Energy. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Daniel J Wieczynski, Kristin M Yoshimura, Elizabeth R Denison,
Stefan
Geisen, Jennifer M DeBruyn, A Jonathan Shaw, David J Weston, Dale
A Pelletier, Steven W Wilhelm, Jean P Gibert. Viral infections
likely mediate microbial controls on ecosystem responses to
global warming. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2023; 99 (3) DOI:
10.1093/femsec/fiad016 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230508190613.htm

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