PRJNA447857
Cuatro Cienegas viral metagenome
In this study, we tested whether the large biodiversity and geographic structure of CCB is reflected in its virome. CCB is an extraordinarily biodiverse oasis in the Chihuahuan desert, where a previous virome study suggested that viruses had followed the marine ancestry of the marine bacteria and as a result of their long isolation, became endemic to the site. In this study, which includes a larger sequencing coverage and water samples from other sites within the valley, we confirmed the virus large biodiversity and uniqueness, as well as the strong biogeographical diversification of the CCB. In addition, we also analyzed fish intestinal contents, finding that each fish species eat different preys and, as a result, they present different viral compositions even if they coexist in the same pond. These facts highlight the high and novel virus diversity of CCB and its “lost world” status.