Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: The field of viral ecology has long endeavored to devise and adapt methodologies to peer beyond the visible and elucidate the roles of viruses in the environment. Much has been learned regarding the dynamics of viral assemblages and the significant role viruses have in biogeochemical cycles ( Brussaard et al., 2008 ). Despite these advances, detailed understanding of biological processes behind ecosystem-scale effects of viral infection has remained largely obscured, with research relegated to a handful of available host–virus culture systems. Increasingly affordable DNA sequencing has provided a route to assess the genetic diversity of viruses in the environment. Current research seeks to apply genomic technologies to address knowledge gaps in environmental virology, but obstacles presented by the unique biology of viruses must be addressed to understand the context and significance of viral genome and metagenome sequence data.
Source: The ISME Journal
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2013195700