Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Science

Invisible actors in groundwater mapped for first time, revealing role in freshwater reservoir

Groundwater is considered the largest reservoir of liquid freshwater on Earth and a habitat for complex microbial communities that drive essential biogeochemical cycles. Until now, the role of viruses that infect microorganisms in this hidden ecosystem was largely unknown. An international research...

Invisible actors in groundwater mapped for first time, revealing role in freshwater reservoir
Image: Phys.org
Groundwater is considered the largest reservoir of liquid freshwater on Earth and a habitat for complex microbial communities that drive essential biogeochemical cycles. Until now, the role of viruses that infect microorganisms in this hidden ecosystem was largely unknown. An international research team has, for the first time, created a comprehensive picture of viral diversity and function in a groundwater system.

Originally published at Phys.org

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