Peatland viruses play active role in ecosystem health
Scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Wisconsin–Madison found that in natural peatlands viruses were able to infect cells of microbes, replicate and then kill the cell before leaving to infect other cells
7 Jan 2026
Viruses found in peatlands could play a more important role in carbon storage than previously thought and become indicators of ecosystem health, a study says1. Researchers examined viruses in peatland soils from 66 locations across seven UK peatland sites, comparing natural, damaged and restored areas.
Their analysis revealed that viruses behaved in a similar way in each type of peatland, adapting their behavior based on the stability of the habitat. Changes in viral behavior affects the dynamics of the soil’s microbiome, influencing which bacterium are present and how efficiently bacteria can process and store carbon, experts say.
Peatlands, like other types of wetlands, play a crucial role in storing carbon that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
Previous research has shown that despite covering only three percent of the Earth's surface, peatlands are estimated to contain up to one-third of global soil carbon due to their oxygen poor conditions that drastically slows down the decomposition and release of carbon into the atmosphere.
But these ecosystems are under increasing threat from environmental disturbances including climate change, drainage and damage caused by land use. Some areas are even switching from being carbon sinks to carbon sources, experts say.
Scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Wisconsin–Madison found that in natural peatlands viruses were able to infect cells of microbes, replicate and then kill the cell before leaving to infect other cells. This keeps microbe populations in check and the ecosystem relatively stable.
In damaged peatlands, they found that the viruses opt to hunker down in infected cells after replicating rather than immediately killing them.
Through looking at which viruses were present in a soil sample, researchers could determine if a wetland was natural, has been damaged or if restoration efforts are working.
The team believes the patterns of viruses observed across UK peatlands could be applicable on a global scale and as the research continues, they hope to investigate how viruses could be useful tools to influence the restoration of peatlands.
References
1. Kosmopoulos JC, Pallier W, Malik AA and Anantharaman K, Ecosystem health shapes viral ecology in peatland soils. Nature Microbiology, volume 11, pages 142–154 (2026).