Ocean-based viruses have been discovered to play a crucial role in trapping carbon and combating climate change. In the face of the escalating threat of climate change, scientists have turned their attention to the world’s oceans, armed with a vast database of hundreds of thousands of DNA and RNA virus species.
The primary objective of this research is to identify viruses capable of enhancing carbon dioxide capture in seawater and preventing methane release from thawing Arctic soil, thus contributing to the mitigation of climate change effects.
Viruses and Carbon Capture
Scientists have employed genomic sequencing data and artificial intelligence to delve into the world of ocean-based viruses. Their findings have unveiled an intriguing aspect of these viruses: their ability to acquire genes from other microbes involved in carbon processing within the sea. This gene theft has facilitated the mapping of microbial metabolism, revealing 340 known metabolic pathways across the global oceans, with 128 pathways also found in ocean virus genomes.
Matthew Sullivan, a professor of microbiology and the director of the Center of Microbiome Science at The Ohio State University, expressed his astonishment at the discovery, stating, ‘I was shocked that the number was that high.’
AI, the Ocean, and Climate Resilience
The research has been propelled by advancements in computational methods, enabling the identification of viruses integral to carbon metabolism. The team is now leveraging this information to develop community metabolic models, with the aim of predicting the outcomes of engineering the ocean microbiome for improved carbon capture.
Sullivan, speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Denver on February 17, 2024, shared insights into the research’s implications. ‘The modeling is about how viruses may dial up or dial down microbial activity in the system,’ Sullivan said. ‘Community metabolic modeling is telling me the dream data point: which viruses are targeting the most important metabolic pathways, and that matters because it means they’re good levers to pull on.’
Phages as Earth’s Physicians
Sullivan’s lab focuses on phages, viruses that infect bacteria, with the aim of utilizing these microbes to convert carbon into a form that sinks to the ocean floor, thereby strengthening the ocean’s role as a carbon sink. This approach builds on the 2016 discovery by the Tara team that carbon sinking in the ocean is facilitated by viruses, as virus-infected cells cluster into larger aggregates, leading to more efficient carbon deposition on the ocean floor. The team’s AI-based analytics have identified ‘VIP’ viruses for further study and potential.
