Unveiling the viral frontier in a warming world: temperature as a key ecological driver of viral diversity in subantarctic Chilean Patagonia fjords

Together, our findings underscore the environmental sensitivity of viral communities in subpolar marine systems and highlight their vulnerability to climate-driven changes. Given the critical role of viruses in microbial turnover, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem resilience, shifts in their diversity and structure may have far-reaching consequences for biogeochemical fluxes and food web dynamics in the fjords of Chilean Patagonia.