土壤病毒生态学研究方法

病毒是地球上最丰富的生物实体,每克土壤中可包含数以亿计的病毒,它不仅影响土壤中其它微生物的群落组成、土壤元素的生物地球化学循环,还会影响土壤微生物的物种进化,甚至影响植物、动物和人体健康。目前人们对土壤中病毒的种类及丰度、分布特征以及功能引起的生态环境效应还知之甚少。在概述病毒生态学研究方法的基础上,对土壤病毒的提取、纯化、定量及分子生态学方法等基本流程进行了比较分析,以期建立一套快速简便、高效稳定的适用于土壤病毒研究的方法,并用于研究土壤病毒的多样性及分布特征,探讨病毒在环境中的生存和传播机制,为土壤病毒的防控及开发利用提供支撑。

Research methods for soil viral ecology

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on the planet, and can reach 10¹⁰ viral particles per gram of soil. Viruses affect the composition of microbial communities, mediate soil biogeochemical cycles, regulate soil microbial evolution, and threaten the health of plants and animals, including humans. However, there is limited knowledge on the abundance and distribution patterns of viruses and the manner in which they affect ecological processes. This study focuses on the comparative approaches to study soil viruses, including their extraction, purification, quantification, and methods pertaining to molecular ecology. The development of reliable and highly efficient methods to evaluate soil viral particles is desirable, because it aids the study of soil virus diversity and distribution. Therefore, these methods will improve our understanding of viral propagation mechanisms in soils, and will provide information on how to control viruses to ensure adequate public health and safety.