Studying soil viral ecology under an ecosystem services framework.

Viruses, the most abundant life form on Earth, are key regulators of microbial cellular and community properties. They can drive substantial microbial mortality (killing large proportions of microbial cells in the environment each day) and have profound effects on biogeochemical cycles. Recent studies suggest that viruses are a central member of soil trophic networks and can function across a wide range of spatial scales, thereby having critical roles in terrestrial ecosystem services. However, soil viral ecology research is still in its infancy stages, and it remains challenging to systematically assess the role of viruses in soil food webs and ecosystem function. With an urgent need to increase soil ecosystem productivity and sustainability, interpreting the ecological function of soil viruses presents major opportunities for better understanding critical soil ecosystem processes. In this work, we propose new perspectives of studying the function of soil viruses under an ecosystem services framework, which revolves around fundamentals of virus-host interactions, methodology for studying soil viral ecology, virus-driven shifts in microbial communities, impacts of soil viruses on ecosystem functionality and livelihood, and viral responses to a changing climate. • Fundamental study of soil virosphere has been overlooked. • Experimental evidence of soil viruses affecting ecological processes is urgently needed. • Systematically assessing the function of soil viruses requires technical innovations. • The ecological role of soil virosphere under global change is an emerging knowledge gap. • Incorporating soil viruses into soil ecosystem services framework is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]