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Viral ecogenomics across the Porifera
Summary
Researchers analyzed viral genetic material across multiple sponge species to understand what roles viruses play in the biology of marine sponges, finding that viruses contribute diverse and potentially beneficial functions to these reef-dwelling organisms. Understanding sponge-virus interactions matters for reef ecosystem health, which is increasingly threatened by plastic pollution and climate change.
Our results highlight the diverse functional roles that viruses can play in marine sponges and are consistent with our current understanding of sponge ecology. Differential representation of putative viral AMGs and accessory genes across sponge species illustrate the diverse suite of beneficial roles viruses can play in the functional ecology of these complex reef holobionts. Video Abstract.
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