Researchers Find Nearly 12,000 Unknown Viruses in the Deep Pacific Ocean

Sediment analysis from the deep Pacific Ocean has revealed a unique network of viruses that recycle nutrients and help stabilize bacterial survival.

Analysis of deep Pacific sediments revealed the presence of a unique network of viruses that recycle nutrients and stabilize bacterial survival.

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A new study has identified widespread and previously unknown viral diversity in a region of the deep Pacific known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCFZ); An area that contains large amounts of "polymetallic nodules" (spherical rocks rich in metals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese in the seabed). The CCFZ is the largest deep-sea mineral exploration area in the world, and scientists say 99 percent of the viruses discovered in the area had never been seen before.

Researchers based in China managed to identify 11,742 different viruses by analyzing seabed sediment samples, more than 99% of them (11,662 cases) are completely new and are unique to this environment rich in heavy metals and lack of nutrients. Environmental degradation from potential commercial mining operations may disrupt these viral communities, the researchers say.

The Chongqing University research team has announced in their published article:

"Protein sharing network analyzes showed extensive viral diversity in the seabed; So that more than 99% of viral clusters did not exist in current reference databases.

This area is located at a maximum depth of 6,000 meters in the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii and is covered with millions of metal rocks the size of potatoes. Companies active in the field of deep sea mining have considered these huge reserves of metal with the aim of supplying the electric car market chain. However, scientists are just at the beginning of the path of understanding this ecosystem, which hosts countless species of living organisms. Several previous studies have warned that future industrial operations risk destroying this complex and dark deep-sea ecosystem.

According to the results of this research, viruses infect diverse deep sea prokaryotes; Organisms that direct the life cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and metals. Viruses affect host survival and regulate local metabolic processes with accessory metabolic genes and targeted infections. Furthermore, viral genetic exchange helps microbes to adapt to metal toxicity. All these benefits show that viruses play a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem of this region.

Researchers have emphasized that these deep-sea viruses pose almost no threat to human health because most of them belong to the order Caudoviricetes, which only attack bacteria.

Although the deep ocean floor is an environment poor in nutrients and contaminated with toxic heavy metals, complex viral communities maintain this ecosystem in a dynamic manner. These viruses act as nutrient recyclers by breaking down organic matter to release nitrogen and phosphorus. They also play the role of metabolic managers and environmental stress controllers; For example, some of them contain genes that enhance the survival of bacteria and contribute to genetic exchange to adapt to the extreme toxicity of the environment.

According to the researchers, if industrial machinery begins to mine the seabed, these delicate biological networks may be destroyed. Dense piles of sediment from mining can destroy host bacteria and stop essential nutrient recycling cycles. Scientists emphasize that mapping these viral networks is critical before any commercial dredging begins.

My professional career in the world of technology goes back almost 10 years; The path that started with hardware, continued with software, and now continues as a technology reporter in Sefir Arjan. I am Javad and more than three decades have passed and in addition to the world of technology, I love movies and cinema, classic rock music and Real Madrid.