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Current understanding of viral contributions to soil carbon cycling

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Growing evidence indicates that soil viruses influence carbon cycling by modulating microbial metabolism and infection dynamics through auxiliary metabolic genes. Beyond host cell lysis, viral processes might regulate carbon flow and the formation of stabilized carbon pools. Integrating viral ecology into soil carbon models and restoration strategies is essential.

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Fig. 1: Viruses as drivers of soil organic carbon persistence.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 101206348, and from the CERCA Program of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Girona, Spain

    Zhi Mei & José L. Balcázar

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  1. Zhi Mei
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  2. José L. Balcázar
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Correspondence to
José L. Balcázar.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Mei, Z., Balcázar, J.L. Current understanding of viral contributions to soil carbon cycling.
Nat Rev Earth Environ (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-026-00774-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-026-00774-2

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