Metagenomics reveals the structure of Mastrevirus-host interaction network within an agro-ecosystem

Abstract As highly pervasive parasites that sometimes cause disease, viruses are likely major components of all natural ecosystems. An important step towards both understanding the precise ecological roles and determining how communities viral species assembled evolve, is obtaining full descriptions diversity distributions at ecosystem scales. Here we focused on such “community-scale” data for in a single genus. We chose genus Mastrevirus (family Geminiviridae), members which have predominantly been found infecting uncultivated grasses Poaceae) throughout tropical sub-tropical regions world. sampled over three years, 2,884 individual Poaceae plants belonging to 30 different within two hectares plot included cultivated areas island Reunion. Mastreviruses were ~8% samples 96% did not any discernible disease symptoms. The multitude host-virus associations uncovered reveals plant most commonly host mastreviruses mastrevirus (such as Maize streak virus Reunion virus) especially large ranges. Our findings consistent with hypothesis perennial capable hosting years-long mixed infections play disproportionately role generation inter-species inter-strain recombinants.