Soil viruses drive carbon turnover during subtropical secondary forest succession.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Soil viruses are increasingly recognized as key regulators of microbial ecology and ecosystem function, yet their roles in forest ecosystems, particularly during natural secondary succession, remain largely unexplored.

Methods

We examined soil viral communities across five successional stages of secondary forests to investigate their taxonomic dynamics and functional potential. Using high-throughput viral metagenomics, we characterized viral community structure, abundance, and auxiliary metabolic gene content.

Results

Our results demonstrate that soil viral abundance and community composition shift significantly with forest stand age. Viral richness increased during succession, with compositional transitions observed across stages; however, tailed bacteri

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12491279 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature