Jane Fudyma

A virus needs a host to persist, and in soil, it is thought that viruses control biogeochemical cycles through the microbial hosts they infect. However, viruses and their hosts display different patterns across horizontal space, making it difficult to explore virus-host dynamics and understand how viruses control soil processes. My research interrogates the methods behind measuring viruses and microbial hosts in soils and investigates the factors that control virus and host co-location in soil.

Recent research has unveiled millions of different viruses in soil, sparking curiosity about their roles and interactions with other microbes. However, we’ve noticed significant differences in soil viral communities across short distances, making it tricky to explore their impact on ecosystem functions, especially since the microbial hosts they infect do not show the same spatial patterns. One possible explanation is that our current methods of measuring host communities may not capture the full picture – perhaps viral populations are responding quickly to their hosts and are more closely linked to host activity or their metabolisms rather than total microbial abundance. To better understand virus-host dynamics and their effects on biogeochemical cycling, we used a suite of techniques to measure viruses, total and active hosts, and their related metabolic processes in two California grasslands. This study lays the groundwork for being able to effectively link viruses to their hosts and understand viral controls on biogeochemical processes.