UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, THE

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VIRUSES ARE THE MOST ABUNDANT LIVING THINGS IN SOIL, WITH A SINGLE GRAM OF SOIL USUALLY HARBORING TENS OF BILLIONS OF VIRUS PARTICLES. THAT NUMBERIS MORE THAN TEN TIMESTHE NUMBER OF OTHER ORGANISMS, FOR EXAMPLE, BACTERIA, IN MOST SOILS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE VIRUSES INFECT MICROORGANISMS SUCH AS BACTERIA AND ARE NOT HARMFUL TO HUMANS. HOWEVER, DESPITE THE SPECTACULAR ABUNDANCE OF VIRUSES IN SOIL, THEIR EFFECTS ON IMPORTANT SOIL FUNCTIONS ARE MOSTLY UNKNOWN. SOILFUNCTIONS THAT VIRUSES MIGHT

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