Deep Sea Benthic Viral Ecology: Impact of Virus-Encoded Auxiliary Metabolic Genes on Biogeochemical Cycling

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Year : 2026 | Volume : 3 | 02 | Page :
By

Mukesh Chander,

  1. Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Khalsa University, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Abstract

The deep ocean benthos, comprising abyssal plains, hadal trenches, cold seeps, hydrothermal vent chimneys, and sub-seafloor sediment basements, represents the largest and least explored biosphere on Earth. Operating under extreme hydrostatic pressure, low temperature (or extreme thermal gradients), and localized energy scarcity, benthic microbial communities govern fundamental global biogeochemical fluxes. Emerging high-throughput metagenomic, single-cell viromic, and transcriptomic evidence reveals that deep-sea viruses are not merely passive agents of microbial mortality, but active metabolic engineers. By harboring diverse viral auxiliary metabolic genes (vAMGs), benthic viruses manipulate, augment, and redirect host metabolism during infection, a paradigm captured by the “virocell” concept. These vAMGs actively modulate key biogeochemical pathways, including chemolithoautotrophic carbon fixation (via the Calvin-Benson-Bassham, reductive tricarboxylic acid, and Wood-Ljungdahl pathways), sulfur transformation (via sox, dsrA/B, and aprA clusters), anaerobic methane oxidation, ammonia oxidation, and trace-metal scavenging. Furthermore, viral lysis drives the benthic “viral shunt” and “viral shuttle,” converting cellular biomass into refractory and labile particulate/dissolved organic matter (POM/DOM) and releasing massive pools of extracellular DNA (eDNA) that feed the benthic microbial loop and dictate long-term carbon burial in marine sediments. This comprehensive review synthesizes current knowledge on viral taxonomic diversity, AMG-mediated host metabolic reprogramming, ecological mechanics across distinct benthic extreme regimes, emerging experimental methodologies, and the incorporation of viral dynamics into predictive global biogeochemical models.

Keywords: Auxiliary metabolic genes, Benthic microbial loop, Biogeochemical cycles, Deep-sea virome Hadal trenches, Hydrothermal vents, Viral shunt, Virocell metabolism

How to cite this article: Mukesh Chander. Deep Sea Benthic Viral Ecology: Impact of Virus-Encoded Auxiliary Metabolic Genes on Biogeochemical Cycling. International Journal of Marine Life. 2026; 03(02):-.
How to cite this URL: Mukesh Chander. Deep Sea Benthic Viral Ecology: Impact of Virus-Encoded Auxiliary Metabolic Genes on Biogeochemical Cycling. International Journal of Marine Life. 2026; 03(02):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/ijml/article=2026/view=260926

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Ahead of Print Subscription Review Article
Volume 03
02
Received 06/08/2026
Accepted 08/09/2026
Published 14/09/2026
Publication Time 39 Days

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