Viruses are the most abundant, most diverse, and least understood biological entities on Earth. It is very likely that the most common organism on the planet is a virus that is currently unknown to science. Because viruses reproduce within a host cell they can have enormous impacts on the well being of the host and possess genes that are integral to the host's ability to carry out important biological functions, such as photosynthesis in marine environments. A major goal of this research project is to develop novel, high-throughput methods to rapidly reveal and characterize the diversity of this biological 'dark matter'. First, the size of the global viral gene pool will be determined by analyzing viral DNAs from the world's major biomes. The work will then focus on the viruses of coral reefs by examining the most abundant viral proteins and determining their functions using genetics and protein structures. Combined and integrated, these approaches will address the genetic, functional, and taxonomic dimensions of viral biodiversity.
Discoveries stemming from the study of viruses have been at the forefront of many breakthroughs in biological research. Values to society from this specific work will include more comprehensive knowledge of global viral biodiversity and of the role of viruses in the health of coral reefs, valuable ecosystems that are under considerable stress due to climate change and other human activities. It is expected that this research will fundamentally alter our understanding of the interactions of viruses and the biodiversity of the planet.
